Located in the UK
Located in the USA
Located in Europe
- John Tavener
Cantus Mysticus (2004)
- Chester Music Ltd (World)
Commissioned by The Foundation for the Cuenca Religious Music Week
Programme Note
Cantus Mysticus sets a text by Goethe concerned with the Eternal Feminine: Das ewig Weibliche zieht uns hinan (The Eternal Woman draws us upwards). Many of my recent works have been concerned with meditation on the Creative Feminine which, according to esoteric metaphysics, reveals the ‘child of the soul’, and thus God.
The slow, contemplative and very intense opening of Cantus Mysticus leads gradually towards a ‘still centre’, with much use of ‘silence’. This is followed by an ecstatic celebration of the Divine Feminine - the Virgine Madre of Dante and Christianity, the Maha Maya of Hinduism, and Maha Prajavati of Buddhism. The Jazz-style passages for clarinet express Lîla, or Divine Play.
Cantus Mysticus is scored for B flat clarinet, soprano and strings (violins and cellos only).
John Tavener
The slow, contemplative and very intense opening of Cantus Mysticus leads gradually towards a ‘still centre’, with much use of ‘silence’. This is followed by an ecstatic celebration of the Divine Feminine - the Virgine Madre of Dante and Christianity, the Maha Maya of Hinduism, and Maha Prajavati of Buddhism. The Jazz-style passages for clarinet express Lîla, or Divine Play.
Cantus Mysticus is scored for B flat clarinet, soprano and strings (violins and cellos only).
John Tavener
Scores
Reviews
...the score still has the power to surprise in its mix of austere spiritual reflection and spouting energy, and in its combination of speech and sung texts
29th August 2008
...calm followed by exuberence - a welcome return to brief simplicity
29th August 2008
The music of British [Tavener] demonstrates an exquisite, meditative, intellectual, ethereal, delicate and elegant synthesis of writing…on a text by Goethe alluding to the eternal femininity partly suspended, partly contemplative and partly profound, he [Tavener] combines the appealing timbres of voice, orchestra and solo clarinet in an outstanding combination.
25th March 2005
Beautiful music and well constructed…Cantus Mysticus for soprano, clarinet and orchestra, connected well with the devoted audience… Tavener satisfies his audience, above all, because he knows his profession and writes with sincerity.
24th March 2005
With the premiere of this work [Cantus Mysticus], Tavener has shown he is the true master of sacred music.
22nd March 2005