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'Above all, these performances by Stephen Layton's Polyphony are breathtakingly beautiful, powerfully expressive without trace of forced sentimentality. Hyperion's Disc of the Month for March should become one of the year's classical hits'
'Every one of the works on this mesmerising Hyperion release is deliciously lyrical and harmonically sumptuous, but spiced with delicate dissonances that are Lauridsen's signature … Every performance here is delivered with liquid perfection'
'exquisitely sung by Polyphony with strong support from the Britten Sinfonia under Stephen Layton'
'The sound is very clean, very focused and detailed, and has remarkable sound-stage depth. Even more so as an SACD … The bottom line is, if you aren't familiar with Lux aeterna, your life is the poorer for it. You do need a recording of it'
The Veil of the Temple is a huge conception. The full version plays for 480 minutes, according to the Chester Novello website www.chester-novello.com. I believe the full score consists of 850 pages! What we have here is a recording of the concert version which Tavener made and which was performed by these same forces at the Henry Wood Promenade concerts in London on 1 August 2004. I vividly...
Like most John Tavener works, this one presents itself with an immense sense of spiritual self-importance. Unlike most Tavener, this one lives up to its billing.
Written as an all-night vigil, “The Veil of the Temple” draws on any number of religious musical cultures— from Sufi texts to British Anglican chord structures — in a series of choruses, chants and prayers. Woven throughout is an...