John Tavener: Akathist of Thanksgiving

On this CD:

1. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 1/Ikos 01
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

2. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 2/Ikos 02
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

3. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 3/Ikos 03
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

4. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 4/Ikos 04
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

5. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 5/Ikos 05
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

6. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 6/Ikos 06
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

7. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 7/Ikos 07
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

8. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 8/Ikos 08
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

9. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 9/Ikos 09
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

10. Akathist of Thanksgiving, for solo voices, chorus, percussion, organ & strings Slava Tebie: Kontakion 10
Composed by John Tavener
Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra / Westminster Abbey Choir with BBC Singers, James Bowman, Roger Cleverdon, Simon Gay, Andrew Giles, Michael Lees
Conducted by Michael David

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Tavener, more than other neospiritualists, shuns harmonic movement and thematic development. He especially favors repetition (as does the liturgy of Eastern Orthodoxy, his primary influence), often using only changes in scoring to provide variety. With such a style, it takes a lot of inspiration to keep an hour-long composition interesting--and that's what's missing in Akathist of Thanksgiving. There's an occasional attractive passage for two countertenors (invariably in parallel thirds), but the chorus and orchestra seem to drone endlessly on a major chord. Staying conscious is actually a challenge for a listener. (By the way, photos of the composer looking soulful among icons and candles are becoming intolerable.) Tavener is at his best in shorter works--try the Innocence CD or the gorgeous pieces on Ikos. --Matthew Westphal

John Tavener: Akathist of Thanksgiving, Music, Lawrence Wallington, Roger Cleverdon, John Tavener, Martin Neary, Michael David, Andrew Giles, James Bowman, Michael Lees, Simon Gay, Timothy Wilson, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Westminster Abbey Choir, Paul Tindall, Choral, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Sacred Music for more than one Solist, Chorus, and Instru

John Tavener: Akathist of Thanksgiving
Average customer rating:

I think that the amazon editorial review is at odds with most people's perception

Say you don't care for it, but don't question inspiration!

Ethereal piece

Certainly Good!

A rare and remarkable work

John Tavener: Akathist of Thanksgiving

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Tavener | Tavener, John Kenneth | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

John Tavener: Innocence

Tavener - Total Eclipse · Agraphon / Rozario · Harle · Robson · Gilchrist · AAM · Goodwin

Tavener: Fall and Resurrection

Angel Heart

ASIN: B000002A7G
Release Date: 1994-09-13

Tracks:

Akathist Of Thanksgiving: I. Slava Tebie - Kontkion 1 - Ikos 1
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: II. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 2 - Ikos 2
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: III. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 3 - Ikos 3
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: IV. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 4 - Ikos 4
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: V. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 5 - Ikos 5
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: VI. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 5 - Ikos 5
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: VII. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 7 - Ikos 7
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: VIII. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 8 - Ikos 8
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: IX. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 9 - Ikos 9
Akathist Of Thanksgiving: X. Slava Tebie - Kontakion 10

Amazon.com

Tavener, more than other neospiritualists, shuns harmonic movement and thematic development. He especially favors repetition (as does the liturgy of Eastern Orthodoxy, his primary influence), often using only changes in scoring to provide variety. With such a style, it takes a lot of inspiration to keep an hour-long composition interesting--and that's what's missing in Akathist of Thanksgiving. There's an occasional attractive passage for two countertenors (invariably in parallel thirds), but the chorus and orchestra seem to drone endlessly on a major chord. Staying conscious is actually a challenge for a listener. (By the way, photos of the composer looking soulful among icons and candles are becoming intolerable.) Tavener is at his best in shorter works--try the Innocence CD or the gorgeous pieces on Ikos. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

I think that the amazon editorial review is at odds with most people's perception.......2005-10-03

This is one of the most uplifting and moving pieces of Tavener's music. It requires attention on the part of the listener - the amazon reviewer seems impatient and dismissive and I wonder if he has experienced similar before.

I am an ambivalent subscriber to any particular religion, yet I find something very spiritual in Tavener's music. The ever-present bass note, representing the presence of God, provides for me an anchor for being able to absorb and enjoy the music.

Finally, what bearing does an album cover have on this sort of music? The Amazon eviewer seems a little pre-occupied by whatever he was looking at when writing his text.

Say you don't care for it, but don't question inspiration!.......2003-11-27

My god, the review that Amazon provided for this album listing is the most snobbish editorial review I've ever seen on this website. What we have hear is a case of a pair of western ears that are way too stuck on western classical notions of "harmonic movement" and "thematic development." I love western classical music, but I also love "eastern classical" and "ancient" music, and if you judge all music in terms of western classical form, you're really missing something. This music is intended to evoke a certain spiritual state. It's not so much a question of "staying conscious" when listening to music like this, but "raising consciousness"--an esoteric concept to too many westerners. Say you don't like it, or you don't get it, but don't "rip it," on the basis that it doesn't fit into your little box of ideas of what music should sound like, and what its purpose should be.

As far as the composer's inspiration is concerned, yes, there are come cases when you can listen to a piece of music and tell pretty quickly that the only source of inspiration for an artist was a contractual obligation or money. However, in this particular case, I don't think there's any basis whatsoever for questioning the composer's inspiration. Perhaps his inspiration was something a bit beyond the reviewer's grasp.

As far as the cover art, yes, it's cheesy but that's just this particular recording label. Sony's long been known for poor cover art, poor album documentation, and endlessly reshuffling and reissuing their catalog.

I don't listen to this piece often, but on the couple of times a year when I come back to it, I always find it enjoyable and calming. Even if one isn't going to become totally steeped in it, or meditate to it, it makes a very good antidote for a tense mood; or a backdrop for a contemplative mood, or for a gray, misty morning. As someone who appreciates eastern music, I like Tavener's use of modes; and I like the way the music seems to be in a repeated state of moving from darkness to light, like the sun being obscured by clouds and then emerging from them again, without being annonyingly minimalistic. If you listen to music like this when you're tired, it might just put you to sleep...but what's wrong with that? Fellow reviewers, professional or otherwise, listen to music from a place a little deeper than just the ear drums, before you go turning people off on something they might really enjoy. If someone asked me to recommend a "chant" CD, and wasn't insisting on authentic Gregorian chant, I would not hesitate to recommend this one.

Ethereal piece.......2001-06-01

In an age where most composers are composing rambunctousness, academic excursions and general weirdness (some of which is very cool & very worthwhile), it is nice to come across a few composers that still try to do something higher than themselves with their work. Despite what many folks say about Tavener being pretentious (I think its more honesty that other folks can't handle), I think his religious music is sincere.

"Akathist of Thanksgiving" is the epitome of what grandiose choral music should be...profound, austere, joyous and magnificent. The vocals (both solo and chorus) are heavenly and ethereal and lift both the mind and spirit upwards. The string parts provide perfect support for the voice, while the bells and timpani punctuate certain lines with a sublime profundity. Tavener's use of space is excellent (although not up to par with Arvo Part...the master of space.) The spaces really allow certain passages and music phrases to sink in deeper and resonate within. Many people aren't comfortable with Tavener's non-linear development (or non-development as some see it), but that of course, isn't his interest (hence the contempt for his music in "academic" circles.) Tavener's primary interest is the elevation of the soul and even more so the exhaltation of God...which I think this piece achieves greatly.

Certainly Good!.......2000-05-06

I do not agree with the Amazon.com review of this piece of music. Yes the music drones on, but so does Gorecki's 3rd symphony, which is itself a truly dynamic piece. The Akathist is not for the musically declined; it does take heart, and a bit of devotion to listen to this piece of music. I think it is well worth the money. And the artwork IS good. But all of this is just my own opinion.

A rare and remarkable work.......1999-06-11

My initial reaction to "Akathist" was 'wow!' That reaction has not changed, although I must say that I have only ever listened through the entire CD (non-stop) on one occasion. Occasion is certainly the flavour of the piece- written for the occasion of the Orthodox Millennium in 1988, this is one of Tavener's most unconditional statements of faith. Taking as his text the poetry of Archbishop Gregory Petrov, he creates a piece that packs an immense amount of punch with a predictably small amount of material. At times, it does chafe that this is a minimalist composition- 77 minutes is a long time (in fact, according to the booklet, the actual work is just a fraction too long to fit on one CD and had to be edited) and yet there seems to be a completely regular pattern to the work that can start to be a bit boring- tolling bells, glissandi from the (string) orchestra in the loudest sections, scalar motion in most vocal and instrumental lines, and predictable harmonies. Nevertheless, there are many moments in this work that are splendidly ethereal- Ikos 1 (track 1), Kontakion 2 (track 2), and Ikos 9 (track 9) are the most obvious examples of some truly haunting harmonies. Perhaps the true appeal of this recording lies not so much in the music but in its execution. It has to be said that Westminster Abbey Choir and the BBC Singers go very well together, and Martin Neary (as yet the only conductor other than Tavener himself to direct this work) does a magnificent job. This was recorded in live performance (which gives it an extra dimension) and yet the quality of balance between soloists and choir is unfailingly sharp. There are places when the orchestra drowns out the choir (Ikos 9 springs to mind), and one of the most solemn moments (at the end of Kontakion 9) is spoiled by someone coughing repeatedly. Still, this is a CD that I play regularly, and I think that all Tavener fans should have it in their collection.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Commander Tom in the Mix, Vol. 5

Hans Werner Henze: Piano Concerto No. 2; Telemanniana

Grainger: Over the Hills and Far Away, Piano Works [Import]

Jazz Music: "NIGHT OF THE CORAL"

I Don't Want a Lover: The Collection [Import]

El Boy con los Poderes del Merengue

If You Live Right Heaven Belongs to You

Ignition

I Grandi Successi Originali [Import]

Harrison: Canticle No3; Ariadne

In Case You Missed It, Vol. 1: 15th Anniversary Sampler

E Chamego Ou Xaveco [Import]

Have Washington Terrified [CD-single] [Import]

Cathedrals

Köln Concert Featuring Dick Twardzik