This piece was commissioned
for Ars Musicalis Australis, an arts
foundation that is dedicated to providing
opportunities in the performing arts
for young Australians. This, I assume,
explains the involvement of the Australian
Youth Orchestra, which is clearly a
very fine and committed orchestra.
Since the CD benefits
from an introductory note by the composer
I can do no better than to draw heavily
on his commentary by way of explanation
of what this piece is about. Tavener
writes "Jerusalem is a universal
symbol which signifies the changeless
and celestial synthesis of the Cosmos,
and the primordial longing of man for
God. The Lament is a sign, therefore,
and a lament for the lost paradise that
is universal." He goes on to explain
that "[Lament for Jerusalem
is] a love song, lamenting our banishment
from home, and the temporary loss of
our beatific vision." Heady stuff,
and those who dismiss Tavener - unfairly
and unwisely, in my view - as a "holy
minimalist" will no doubt read
these words, sigh in exasperation and
move on.
To do that would be
a mistake, however. I’m sure it helps
greatly if the listener can buy in to
Tavener’s religious sentiments and philosophy,
if only in part. However, I don’t believe
that it’s necessary to subscribe to
his theology to appreciate Lament
for Jerusalem as both a work of
art and a creation of no little beauty.
After all, I’m sure that countless atheists
have appreciated religious works of
art such as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel
frescoes.
As usual with Tavener,
in my experience, the work is thoughtfully
put together. In the first place he
has chosen his texts with care and has
allocated them amongst the performers
with comparable exactitude. Lament
knits together three distinct religious
traditions. There is the Christic tradition
(Christ’s lament for the city of Jerusalem,
as recounted in St. Matthew’s Gospel,
chapter 23); there is the Judaic tradition,
represented by words from Psalm 137
("By the waters of Babylon");
finally, there is the Islamic tradition,
represented here by words from an Islamic
mystical poem, Masnavi. In Tavener’s
score, the Christic text is always sung
(in Greek) by the choir; the Judaic
words are allotted to the chorus and
the soprano soloist; the counter-tenor
declaims the Islamic verses.
The orchestral scoring
is also precisely divided. Flutes, oboes
and strings, Tavener tells us, represent
love; the brass suggest royalty and
dignity; while harp, Tibetan temple
bowls and tubular bells denote ritual;
finally the singers are responsible
for the Logos, the Word of God.
I have mentioned all this because I
found it very helpful in understanding
the work.
Structurally, Lament
is not complex. The score is divided
into seven stanzas, the longest of which
plays for fractionally over nine minutes.
Each begins with the chorus singing
in unison. With the exception of the
final stanza their words are always
taken from Psalm 137. At each of these
appearances of the choir the music has
increasing power. Then the countertenor
contributes a passage from the Islamic
text. Fittingly, his music suggests
the ornate vocalizing of a muezzin.
Then we hear the soprano. Each time
her text concludes with a touchingly
simple "Alleluia" (in Greek)
– in the last stanza only this is all
she sings. Then the choir, this time
singing homophonically, gradually unfolds
the Christic text in Greek. With each
succeeding stanza the amount of text
that is sung is gradually expanded and
also the music grows in power and majesty.
Finally, each stanza concludes with
a short refrain sung very quietly by
an unaccompanied semi chorus of just
twelve voices, the effect of which is
haunting and very moving. At the end
of the whole work the music of the semi
chorus concludes Lament on what
I suspect is a deliberate note of ambiguity.
For the most part the
music is slow moving but it seems to
me that it is always purposeful and,
even when it sounds simply beautiful
and almost static one senses an inner
strength. Without a doubt the commitment
displayed by all the performers is a
vital factor in the music making its
effect. These, I believe, are the same
artists that gave the first performance
of the work in 2003 and they sound to
have the piece under their collective
skins. Patricia Rozario has long been
closely associated with Tavener’s music
and I should not be surprised if, once
again, he had not written a soprano
role with her specific vocal accomplishments
in mind. On this occasion he does not
require her to sing in alt to
quite the extent that he has in some
previous works but the tessitura is
still pretty demanding and wide ranging.
She sings with her customary purity
of tone and diction. The Australian
counter-tenor, Christopher Josey, is
an artist I haven’t encountered before.
His exotic timbre suits the Islamic
texts very well. The choir and orchestra
have evidently been scrupulously prepared
for this assignment and they perform
splendidly under the impressive control
of Thomas Woods.
In his preface Tavener
states that ideally Lament "should
be performed in a sacred space or other
generous acoustic that will allow the
music to ‘breathe’ in its slow, measured
pace as befits a lamenting, mystical
love song." The name of the venue
for this recording suggests it is a
"conventional" recording studio.
However, to my ears the results sound
eminently satisfactory. The recorded
sound is both clear and atmospheric.
The documentation is good and besides
the composer’s own note the full texts
and, where appropriate, an English translation
are provided.
By today’s standards
the playing time of this CD seems ungenerous.
However, I think that on artistic grounds
it was the right decision not to include
any more music. Lament needs
to stand alone and speak for itself.
This is a work of no little power at
times but above all it is a work of
haunting beauty, fastidiously crafted.
Admirers of Tavener’s unique musical
voice need not hesitate.
John Quinn
Patricia Rozario (soprano); Christopher Josey
(counter-tenor) 
