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MATTHEW HAWKINS applauds a psychotherapist’s disection of William Blake
Tavener triumph
Excellent interpretations capture profound spirituality of late composer's work
New releases from Christina Alden and Alex Patterson, Odette Michell, Clementine Lovell
JOHN GREEN is fascinated by a very readable account of Britain’s involvement in South America
Strip cartoons used to be the bread and butter of newspapers and they have been around for centuries. MICHAL BONCZA asks our own Paul Tanner about which bees are in his bonnet
GORDON PARSONS acknowledges the authority with which Sarah Kane’s theatrical justification for suicide has resonance today
RON JACOBS welcomes a timely homage to one of the IWW and CPUSA’s most effective orators
Tavener: No Longer Mourn For Me
Steven Isserlis
(Hyperion)
CONTEMPORARY classical composers aiming for spiritual depth and new dimensions in their music have long been seen as in the artistic vanguard, never more so than if they find a unique voice.
John Tavener, with his exploration of the Anglican faith in the 1960s, then his conversion to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1977, is one who found that unique voice.
Renowned cello player Steven Isserlis, a devotee of Tavener and a personal friend through much of his career, is noted for the lyricism, tenderness, power and beauty in his playing and he helped shape and realise the composer’s sound, most notably on his seminal work The Protecting Veil, nominated for the 1992 Mercury Prize.
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This is a concert of ambition and courage by organist and improviser Wayne Marshall, says SIMON DUFF
SIMON DUFF recommends an outstanding album of choral works that range from the 12th century to the present day
New releases from Nazar, Peter Gregson and Mesias Maiguashca
SIMON DUFF recommends a new album from renowned composer and oud player Anour Brahem.
