Recordings by John Hadden -- Taverner Choir - Out of the Night

Sony Classical 61753

OUT OF THE NIGHT Taverner Choir Arvo Pärt Magnificat Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen Fratres John Tavener Out of the Night Canticle of the Mother of God Threnos Ikon of the Nativity

BBC Music Magazine Pick of the Month, December 1999
"Tavener and Pärt are so often grouped together that one would assume their music was interchangeable. This disc pits two extremes of the composers' styles against each other: Tavener's exotic melodicism, effectively portrayed, in Canticle of the Mother of God, by Claron McFadden's sensual soprano; and Pärt ritualistic, glowing 'tintinnabuli' works, based on the bell-like quality of diatonic triad and scale. There are also some excellent string items. The wonderfully rich three-cello sound of Fratres, the vibrato increasing in accordance with the textural complexity, made me air up and listen every time. The Taverner Choir's performances are about as good as you could get . Pärt's Magnificat Antipbons - the powerful, ringing discords, splendid Russian-sounding basses descending impossibly low, and heart-stopping silent bars in 0 Immanuel- are outstanding."

PERFORMANCE 5 SOUND 5

Classic CD
"The Taverner Choir has its roots in the early music movement and remains true to its original priorities, producing flawless, beautifully matched tone... The sound is extremely fine."

Music Week Classical CD of the Week
"Andrew Parrott's professional chamber choir gets to the spiritual heart of this music with performances of intense passion, light years removed from the colourless approach adopted by many other interpreters."

Amazon.com
"While Arvo Pärt and John Tavener are usually mentioned in the same breath, their music doesn't sound at all similar. Pärt's music tends to be austere and abstract (like a monastery chapel or a Quaker meeting house), while Tavener freely uses lush melodies, major chords, and overtly pictorial themes (giving the impression of a brightly painted icon). This superb disc shows just how different their styles are--and where they begin to meet. Pärt's Magnificat is (stereo)typical of the composer: luminous but cool, avoiding any attempt to illustrate the text. In contrast, the Seven Magnificat Antiphons sound surprisingly warm, with fuller, more tonal writing; the much-recorded Fratres gets a relatively lush reading from Parrott's three cellists, sounding surprisingly reminiscent of Shostakovich or even Beethoven's late string quartets. Meanwhile, those who associate Tavener's style with the sweet, gentle Song for Athene (performed at Princess Diana's funeral) may be shocked by the Canticle of the Mother of God. Over vibrant but often dissonant chords sustained by a choir, a soprano sings a fearsomely difficult solo part with techniques borrowed from Eastern Orthodox liturgical chant. At the other extreme, Threnos is a solemn lament for unaccompanied solo cello--as close to Pärt's ascetic style as Tavener gets. Ikon of the Nativity seems to bridge the gap, with a melody that could come straight out of Old Russian chant over a drone that mutates into a dissonant chord and back again. And then there's the recurring leitmotif, Out of the Night, a gentle, exquisitely simple setting for tenor and viola of the single word Alleluia--Tavener at his best."

Amazon.com Customer Review
"The one thing that stands out about this disc is the performance. Parrott clearly knows what makes these composers tick, and milks some absolutely breathtaking singing from his choir (particularly in the Pärt "Antiphons", which in my opinion have never sounded as good on record as this). This CD is a must-have if you like either of these distinguished composers; if you seek an introduction to them, you could do worse than to get this. One of the finest releases of the new year- highly recommended!"

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