- Performer: Martyn Hill, David Wilson-Johnson
- Orchestra: BBC Symphony Orchestra
- Conductor: Oliver Knussen
- Composer: Peter Maxwell Davies
- Audio CD (23 Nov 2009)
- Number of Discs: 2
- Format: CD
- Label: NMC Records
- ASIN: B002OHQNKS
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 131,996 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a wonderful work, Maxwell Davies's finest opera and one of the great operas of the late twentieth century. The story is a remarkable one: the Tudor composer John Taverner became caught up in the Reformation, abandoned music, and became a persecutor. It turns out that the historical record does not quite bear this out, but it does not matter: the story becomes the basis of a profound exploration of the theme of betrayal. As the composer put it: "Taverner betrays what is best in himself, and for the highest possible motives." He wrote his own libretto, constructing it out of actual historical documents, passages from the Bible and his own invention. It is a remarkable and impressive piece of work in its own right, far superior to, say, that for John Adams's Doctor Atomic which was assembled in the same way. The two acts balance each other, the first with Taverner's rise from near condemnation to his conversion, represented in an amazing dream sequence which includes cameo appearance by Antichrist and God the Father. In the second half he ends up condeming his former persecutor to death by burning. In between come scenes between a King, unnamed but clearly based on Henry VIII, and a Cardinal, initially based on Wolsey but changing into Cranmer in the second half.
The music can be characterized as beginning like Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex rewritten by Schoenberg of the expressionist period. The two court scenes have 'background' music, superficially in a Renaissance idiom but in fact distorted like the pub piano in Berg's Wozzeck. The climax comes to a Mahlerian threnody. The music is haunting and many of the phrases have stayed in my mind for years (I attended the premiere in 1972).
The performance is a studio one, carefully prepared and well balanced. We must hope that one day one of Edward Downes's Covent Garden performances will also be issued, but meanwhile there is no competition for this. Some of us have waited many years for this, and its appearance is a cause for rejoicing.
The music can be characterized as beginning like Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex rewritten by Schoenberg of the expressionist period. The two court scenes have 'background' music, superficially in a Renaissance idiom but in fact distorted like the pub piano in Berg's Wozzeck. The climax comes to a Mahlerian threnody. The music is haunting and many of the phrases have stayed in my mind for years (I attended the premiere in 1972).
The performance is a studio one, carefully prepared and well balanced. We must hope that one day one of Edward Downes's Covent Garden performances will also be issued, but meanwhile there is no competition for this. Some of us have waited many years for this, and its appearance is a cause for rejoicing.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have some mixed feelings about this, though there is no question that it is a very important work by a major composer. It is not too much to say that "Taverner" stands to the rest of Maxwell Davies's music much as "Peter Grimes" stands to the rest of Britten's (and that analogy could be considerably expanded).
On the plus side, the basic dramatic construction of the work is superb, with Taverner on trial for heresy in Act 1 and then presiding over the White Abbot's trial for heresy in Act 2. It is an intellectual, thought-provoking opera that probes issues about the relationship between individual conscience and the mechanisms of state and church that are likely to remain of great relevance. The choral and instrumental passages are frequently of immense power.
On the negative side, it is a very wordy opera (libretto by the composer so no else is to blame!). Not many composers can set large passages of prose very successfully, and Maxwell Davies did not altogether surmount the challenge he set himself (though the more compressed 2nd Act works considerably better than the 1st). There are very, very people who will not find some of the dialogue passages both rather tedious and rather ugly. By "ugly" I don't mean lacking melody (anyone who likes their operas to be full of good tunes probably won't be interested in "Taverner" anyway); I mean twisting the English language in ways that can't be aesthetically defended. One syllable words are tortured into 3 syllables frequently and there is a lot of slurring and misplaced stresses making it often impossible to hear what is being sung. Even Taverner's final words, which I take to be absolutely central to the intended message of the opera--"O God, I call upon thy name, out of the lowest dungeon. Forsake not thy faithful servant"--can only be made out with a good deal of difficulty. The recording comes with a libretto and most listeners will need it.
Also on the negative side, the opera seems to have relied a good deal more than most operas on symbolic visual elements on the stage. The directions are given in the libretto, so one can attempt to reconstruct them in the theatre of the mind. Still, when you read directions like "DEATH ALONE, HIS SKULL-FACE ONLY SPOTLIGHTED. FROM THE DEATH'S HEAD EMERGES THE FACE OF JOHN TAVERNER, WITH EYES CLOSED, SPOTLIGHTED. THE TWO HEADS ARE CLOSE TOGETHER, SURROUNDED BY TOTAL DARKNESS" it is obvious that an audio recording falls far short of the impact the work would have in the theatre. It is a pity a stage production was not filmed, though one accepts that costs are prohibitive.
Anyone not sure whether they would like a Maxwell Davies opera is advised to try "The Lighthouse" first--the most accessible of his recorded works in the genre, and a real little masterpiece best enjoyed in a darkened room with the wind blowing loudly outside.
On the plus side, the basic dramatic construction of the work is superb, with Taverner on trial for heresy in Act 1 and then presiding over the White Abbot's trial for heresy in Act 2. It is an intellectual, thought-provoking opera that probes issues about the relationship between individual conscience and the mechanisms of state and church that are likely to remain of great relevance. The choral and instrumental passages are frequently of immense power.
On the negative side, it is a very wordy opera (libretto by the composer so no else is to blame!). Not many composers can set large passages of prose very successfully, and Maxwell Davies did not altogether surmount the challenge he set himself (though the more compressed 2nd Act works considerably better than the 1st). There are very, very people who will not find some of the dialogue passages both rather tedious and rather ugly. By "ugly" I don't mean lacking melody (anyone who likes their operas to be full of good tunes probably won't be interested in "Taverner" anyway); I mean twisting the English language in ways that can't be aesthetically defended. One syllable words are tortured into 3 syllables frequently and there is a lot of slurring and misplaced stresses making it often impossible to hear what is being sung. Even Taverner's final words, which I take to be absolutely central to the intended message of the opera--"O God, I call upon thy name, out of the lowest dungeon. Forsake not thy faithful servant"--can only be made out with a good deal of difficulty. The recording comes with a libretto and most listeners will need it.
Also on the negative side, the opera seems to have relied a good deal more than most operas on symbolic visual elements on the stage. The directions are given in the libretto, so one can attempt to reconstruct them in the theatre of the mind. Still, when you read directions like "DEATH ALONE, HIS SKULL-FACE ONLY SPOTLIGHTED. FROM THE DEATH'S HEAD EMERGES THE FACE OF JOHN TAVERNER, WITH EYES CLOSED, SPOTLIGHTED. THE TWO HEADS ARE CLOSE TOGETHER, SURROUNDED BY TOTAL DARKNESS" it is obvious that an audio recording falls far short of the impact the work would have in the theatre. It is a pity a stage production was not filmed, though one accepts that costs are prohibitive.
Anyone not sure whether they would like a Maxwell Davies opera is advised to try "The Lighthouse" first--the most accessible of his recorded works in the genre, and a real little masterpiece best enjoyed in a darkened room with the wind blowing loudly outside.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
a voice teacher and early music fan
10 Dec 2009
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
"SOMEWHERE THERE'S MUSIC; HOW FAINT THE TUNE!" (Ella Fitzgerald)
And it will take repeated listenings to find a tune in this composition. However, that does not make it without merit, for it is indeed a monumental work and feature some very fine dramatic contributions from some renowned vocalists; and the major critics love it!
NEW YORK TIMES (concerning this production): "REVEAL(S) THEATRICALLY AND (presents) A MUSICAL IDIOM THAT COMBINES MEDIEVAL MYSTICISM, MODERNIST VIGOUR AND HAPPY ACCESSIBILITY!"
I must agree with the 'Times' as to that comment, and further state that although this is not based on historical records John Taverner did exist and did have some minor difficulties with religion, but during that era, many others did too.
Therefore, one has to agree that the stories about John Taverner's (1490-1545)abandonment of music, in favour of a career of hostility to English Catholicism, seem without foundation. He was employed as a musician and composer his entire life, mostly at Cardinal College (Christ Church) Oxford, and upon retiring, moved to Boston where he was held in high esteem. The popular, if mistaken, account of his life is the subject of this opera 'Taverner' by Peter Maxwell Davies (1934---)
Davies is an English composer and conductor who has written a large number of compositions such as the highly emotional 'Eight songs for a Mad King'(1969), which is probably his best known work. His style ranges from early expressionistic to later more lyrical and reflective pieces. He wrote the music and the libretto for 'Taverner' which he based on letters and documents of the 16th century, and states clearly that this is a 'non-realization' of Taverner's life. But it makes a great opera, none the less. Radio 3 BBC ran it an entire week; not this recording, but a live performance from Glasgow, but I do think that this recording from 1996, is of a much better performance quality than the recent performance. I listened to all of it on the BBC and was fascinated by the story as it developed; highly dramatic; much instrumental and vocal variety. Davies worked on this from 1962 until 1968, and it was first performed at Covent Garden in 1972 with Edward Downes conducting.
The opera is in two acts and set in the 16th century amidst the religious turmoil of the
Reformation, but the composer's libretto also explores wider issues of creative truth and self-betrayal. Tavener is on trial before the White Abbot, accused of following the Lutheran Heresy, but he is saved by the Cardinal (Wolsey) before judgement can be given. Taverner debates for himself the religious meaning of his music, and begins to find wrong practises in the Catholic Church, and is moved to seize a sword against Catholic doctrine. In Act Two, a nightmare version of the first act, is another very accelerated and 'black' trial, in which the Judge and the White Abbot is accused, the crime this time being that of adhering to the old religion. There are many twists and turns in the plot, but none that one cannot follow.
The Cast is truly outstanding: Martyn Hill as Taverner is magnificent, better than I have heard him, and David Wilson Johnson (baritone) as the Jester plays his role,and it's an interesting one, with fervor. There are many minor cast members of note such as Michael Chance as the Priest and God the Father, with some wild solo spots that demand great vocal technique as do many of the roles. The groups involved both instrumental and vocal are many and all excellent: London Voices, New London Children's Choir, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Fretwork, and his Majesty's Sagbutts and Cornetts.
I am including a brief paragraph from 'The Guardian' commenting on this work: "No single work in Davie's now-volumnous output has greater significance in his composing career...Davies' vocal and orchestral forces are vast, and with its constant use of Taverner's own music as a thematic source, his score is an extraordinary labyrinth of transformation. But as Knussen(concuctor) and his superb cast, led by the tenor Martyn Hill as Tavener, himself, with David Wilson Jones as the Jester and Stephan Richardson as the King, constantly demonstrates, it is also wonderfully communicative, and the whole bundle of issues it confronts, religious and political and artistic, are as relevant today as in the 16th century or when Davies composed the work in the 1960's."
And it will take repeated listenings to find a tune in this composition. However, that does not make it without merit, for it is indeed a monumental work and feature some very fine dramatic contributions from some renowned vocalists; and the major critics love it!
NEW YORK TIMES (concerning this production): "REVEAL(S) THEATRICALLY AND (presents) A MUSICAL IDIOM THAT COMBINES MEDIEVAL MYSTICISM, MODERNIST VIGOUR AND HAPPY ACCESSIBILITY!"
I must agree with the 'Times' as to that comment, and further state that although this is not based on historical records John Taverner did exist and did have some minor difficulties with religion, but during that era, many others did too.
Therefore, one has to agree that the stories about John Taverner's (1490-1545)abandonment of music, in favour of a career of hostility to English Catholicism, seem without foundation. He was employed as a musician and composer his entire life, mostly at Cardinal College (Christ Church) Oxford, and upon retiring, moved to Boston where he was held in high esteem. The popular, if mistaken, account of his life is the subject of this opera 'Taverner' by Peter Maxwell Davies (1934---)
Davies is an English composer and conductor who has written a large number of compositions such as the highly emotional 'Eight songs for a Mad King'(1969), which is probably his best known work. His style ranges from early expressionistic to later more lyrical and reflective pieces. He wrote the music and the libretto for 'Taverner' which he based on letters and documents of the 16th century, and states clearly that this is a 'non-realization' of Taverner's life. But it makes a great opera, none the less. Radio 3 BBC ran it an entire week; not this recording, but a live performance from Glasgow, but I do think that this recording from 1996, is of a much better performance quality than the recent performance. I listened to all of it on the BBC and was fascinated by the story as it developed; highly dramatic; much instrumental and vocal variety. Davies worked on this from 1962 until 1968, and it was first performed at Covent Garden in 1972 with Edward Downes conducting.
The opera is in two acts and set in the 16th century amidst the religious turmoil of the
Reformation, but the composer's libretto also explores wider issues of creative truth and self-betrayal. Tavener is on trial before the White Abbot, accused of following the Lutheran Heresy, but he is saved by the Cardinal (Wolsey) before judgement can be given. Taverner debates for himself the religious meaning of his music, and begins to find wrong practises in the Catholic Church, and is moved to seize a sword against Catholic doctrine. In Act Two, a nightmare version of the first act, is another very accelerated and 'black' trial, in which the Judge and the White Abbot is accused, the crime this time being that of adhering to the old religion. There are many twists and turns in the plot, but none that one cannot follow.
The Cast is truly outstanding: Martyn Hill as Taverner is magnificent, better than I have heard him, and David Wilson Johnson (baritone) as the Jester plays his role,and it's an interesting one, with fervor. There are many minor cast members of note such as Michael Chance as the Priest and God the Father, with some wild solo spots that demand great vocal technique as do many of the roles. The groups involved both instrumental and vocal are many and all excellent: London Voices, New London Children's Choir, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Fretwork, and his Majesty's Sagbutts and Cornetts.
I am including a brief paragraph from 'The Guardian' commenting on this work: "No single work in Davie's now-volumnous output has greater significance in his composing career...Davies' vocal and orchestral forces are vast, and with its constant use of Taverner's own music as a thematic source, his score is an extraordinary labyrinth of transformation. But as Knussen(concuctor) and his superb cast, led by the tenor Martyn Hill as Tavener, himself, with David Wilson Jones as the Jester and Stephan Richardson as the King, constantly demonstrates, it is also wonderfully communicative, and the whole bundle of issues it confronts, religious and political and artistic, are as relevant today as in the 16th century or when Davies composed the work in the 1960's."
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