Editor’s Note: Scored for a cappella choir, John Tavener’s “Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God” was composed in 1985 as the second part of a pair of Marian devotions. 347 more words
via “Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God” — The Imaginative Conservative
Progarchy 
Absolutely love vast stretches of Tavener’s music. The orchestral cello concerto “The Protecting Veil” and the string quartet “The Last Sleep of the Virgin” also are tied into this feast (celebrated on the Lutheran calendar as St. Mary, Mother of our Lord). Choral Tavener classics (usually in an austere, minimal, repetitive style) include the “Akhmatova Requiem,” the “Funeral Ikos” and “Song for Athene” (the latter sung at Princess Diana’s funeral); the “Akathist of Thanksgiving,” the Good Friday cycle “Lamentations and Prayers” and the millennium-inspired concept work “Fall and Resurrection.”
Tavener’s memoir “The Music of Silence” is a pretty spellbinding read as well, touching on his connections with Igor Stravinsky and the Beatles (the first two recordings of his works came out on the Apple label through a connection with Ringo).
LikeLike