Tavener: Eternity's Sunrise
Listening to Tavener's music requires not so much an open mind as one that has been emptied. Onto this blank slate, or tabula rasa, Tavener projects two sorts of basic materials: ecstatic melismas or slow-moving, simple chants. At first, the effects can be pleasant, as the popularity of discs such asThe Protecting Veilno doubt attests; the sounds are usually sweet and often soothing. Soon, the lack of movement becomes evident, at which point listeners can either fall into appreciatively soporific contemplation or regard themselves as victims of a musical form of the ancient Chinese water torture. The use of period instruments and performers (most notably Patricia Rozario and Andrew Manze) changes nothing about the description offered above. Expert singers wail, a few delicate plucks of the harp are transferred to the theorbo, and such fanciful titles as "Petra: A Ritual Dream" suggest far more than they deliver. Listeners seeking mystically oriented music that goes beyond New Age pabulum might prefer to try Messiaen'sÉclairs sur l'Au-DelàorTrois petites liturgies de la Presence Divine.--Paul Turok