John Tavener: Song for Athene

Luminous Voices is excited to not only cohost The Tallis Scholars, but also sing with them! We will be singing John Tavener's Song for Athene when the award-winning ensemble finishes its tour of the US and Canada in Calgary on Tuesday 24 April.

About John Tavener

John Tavener (1944-2013)

Sir John Kenneth Tavener was one of the UK's leading composers of religious works.

Tavener first came to prominence in 1968 with his dramatic cantata The Whale, based on the Old Testament story of Jonah. It premièred at the London Sinfonietta's début concert, which was also the opening concert of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Other works of note is his A Celtic Requiem, which impressed Benjamin Britten enough to persuade Covent Garden to commission an opera from Tavener: the ultimate result, to a libretto by playwright Gerard McLarnon, was Thérèse.

“He could bring an audience to a deep silence which is a very rare gift. He believed that music was for everybody and was a prayer.”

— John Rutter on John Tavener

Tavener's earliest music invokes the sound world of Stravinsky and the ecstatic quality found in various works by Messiaen. His later works, however, were influenced by Orthodox theology and liturgical traditions. He was particularly drawn to its mysticism, studying and setting to music the writings of Church Fathers and completing a setting of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the principal eucharistic liturgy of the Orthodox Church: this was Tavener's first directly Orthodox-inspired music. Tavener recognised Arvo Pärt as "a kindred spirit" and shared with him a common religious tradition and a fondness for textural transparency.

Song for Athene

John Tavener’s Song for Athene, written after the unexpected death of a family friend, Athene Hariades, became embedded in the public consciousness after it was performed at the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997. The sincerity and impact of the words, fashioned from a fusion of Orthodox ritual and Shakespeare, together with its radiantly optimistic, alleluiatic conclusion, struck an instant chord with a grieving public.

• VIDEO: Watch and listen to the choir singing Tavener's Song for Athene at the funeral of Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey on 06 September 1997.

A few of Tim's favourite things

“This concert could be titled “Some of my favourite choral music”.”

— Tim Shantz

When you're as experienced a musician as Timothy Shantz, there's a lot of music you can put into a concert. So why did he choose these four pieces specifically -- works by Johannes Brahms, Frank Martin, Arvo Pärt and Tarik O'Regan -- to open Luminous Voices' fifth-anniversary season?

Tickets -- http://berlinermesse.bpt.me
Season subscriptions -- http://luminousvoices1718.bpt.me

Frank Martin's "Mass" appeal

“I felt that a personal expression of religious belief should remain secret and hidden from public opinion. ”

— Frank Martin (1890-1974)

Of all the works in Swiss composer Frank Martin's catalogue, one of the most celebrated and performed is his unaccompanied Mass for Double Choir. Completed in 1926, the composer would not allow the work to be performed until 1963; he considered the work to be a 'matter between God and myself'. Since its premiere, the work has gained a tremendous following, and has become a staple of contemporary choral repertoire.

Frank Martin (1890-1974)

So what makes the Mass for Double Choir so special? Three conductors of Alberta-based, award-winning choirs -- Leonard Ratzlaff, Jordan Van Biert and Timothy Shantz -- offer their scholarly insights and experience on the work, and why it deserves such praise.

Leonard Ratzlaff and Jordan Van Biert sing the Mass with us this weekend, conducted by Timothy Shantz, to kick off our fifth-anniversary season. Tickets are still available: http://berlinermesse.bpt.me

Enlightenment on a sacred Brahms motet

One of the a cappella works we will feature at our season-opening concert on Sunday 15 October is the sacred Johannes Brahms motet "Warum ist Licht gegeben dem Muhseligen", from his Opus 74. The motet, which translates as "Why is light given to him that is in misery", uses Biblical texts with added text from Martin Luther. If you are familiar with and enjoy Brahms' German Requiem, you will love this motet.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) is widely regarded as one of the preeminent German composers of the 19th century.

Background

Brahms wrote this motet in 1877, during what has been described as a period of "high maturity". After 15 years, Brahms felt inspired to compose unaccompanied sacred choral music, and the "Warum" motet from his Opus 74 is a real standout.

Brahms describes the motet as “A little essay about the great ‘Why’, especially in stark contrast to his sunnier Symphony No. 2. The "Warum" motet as a whole has a great emotional impact, whether it be the anguished cries of “Warum?” in the first section or the joyous six-voice counterpoint in the second and third sections.

The motet has four distinct sections.

1. The opening section is severe and imposing in the key of D minor, the key often used during the 19th century to characterize melancholy. Listen to how Brahms sets the Biblical texts from the Book of Job, particularly for the anguished cries of "Warum" throughout.
    
2. A canonic setting in six parts in the key of F major, the key of complaisance and calm. Here, Brahms sets text from the Book of Lamentations by the prophet Jeremiah, Lasset uns unser Herz samt den Händen aufheben zu Gott im Himmel (Let us lift up our heart
   with our hands unto God in the heavens).
    
3. The third section (Siehe, wir) is in two parts, set to words from the Letter of St. James in the New Testament. The second part of this section begins with the words Die Geduld Hiob (The Patience of Job), which echoes back to the text of the first section. Melodically, this second part also develops into a recap of the second section (Lasset uns).
    
4. The final section is a chorale that sets the words of the Lutheran Nunc Dimittis by Martin Luther. In it, death is seen not as something to be feared, but rather as a will of God and the fulfillment of a promise. Perhaps it's fitting that Brahms sets this section in the key D major, which is the key of Handel's "Glory to God", "Worthy is the Lamb" and "Hallelujah" movements from Messiah, and the triumphant conclusion to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

Forming musical roots

For Timothy Shantz, founder and artistic director of Luminous Voices, the "Warum" motet is a beloved choral work. "It is music that seemingly forms my own musical roots in counterpoint and romanticism," says Shantz. "He was a composer who carried the great German musical and choral traditions of Schütz and Bach deep into the 19th century yet with his own rhythmic style and personal sense of expression. Those musical ideas are encapsulated in this motet." Indeed, Bach's influence is strong in this motet, such as the use of counterpoint and the structure of the motet, right down to its concluding harmonized chorale.

YOUTUBE: Watch and listen to the La Maîtrise de l'Académie Vocale de Paris, directed by Iain Simcock, perform the motet in 2011.

Translations:

Accessed 06 October 2017, http://www.kellydeanhansen.com/opus74.html

From Job 3:20-23

Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen,
und das Leben den betrübten Herzen,
Die des Todes warten und kommt nicht,
und grüben ihn wohl aus dem Verborgenen,
Die sich fast freuen und sind fröhlich,
daß sie das Grab bekommen,
Und dem Manne, deß Weg verborgen ist,
und Gott vor ihm denselben bedecket?

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,
and life unto the bitter in soul;
Which long for death, but it cometh not;
and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad,
when they can find the grave?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,
and whom God hath hedged in?
 

From Lamentations 3:41

Lasset uns unser Herz
samt den Händen aufheben
zu Gott im Himmel.

Let us lift up our heart
with our hands
unto God in the heavens.

From James 5:11

Siehe, wir preisen selig,
die erduldet haben.
Die Geduld Hiob habt ihr gehöret,
und das Ende des Herrn habt ihr gesehen;
denn der Herr ist barmherzig,
und ein Erbarmer.

Behold, we count them happy
which endure.
Ye have heard of the patience of Job,
and have seen the end of the Lord;
that the Lord is very pitiful,
and of tender mercy.

From Martin Luther

Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin,
in Gottes Willen,
getrost ist mir mein Herz und Sinn,
sanft und stille.
Wie Gott mir verheissen hat:
der Tod ist mir Schlaf worden.

With peace and joy I travel to that place,
according to God's will;
my heart and soul are comforted,
gently and quietly.
As god has promised me,
death has become sleep to me.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

As Canada sits down to give thanks, this weekend, we at Luminous Voices wanted to thank all our donors and supporters who have made the last five years such a resounding success!

We hope you'll continue to join us in luminous music-making, beginning with our first concert of our fifth anniversary season on Sunday 15 October at the Bella Concert Hall!

• CLICK HERE for tickets to Part's Berliner Messe
• CLICK HERE for arrange 2017-18 season subscriptions