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Tier 2 · legacy legendfull biography
John Tavener
Person · male · United Kingdom · London · born 1944 · died 2013 · recording since 1970
British composer (1944-2013)
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Also known as John Tavener · John Tavner · Sir John Tavener · Tavener · Travener · 约翰·塔文纳
Timeline
53 events▣ Album 50◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1
1940s
1970s
· Debut release
Debut release: The Whale
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2000s
· Album
Album: The Veil of the Temple (The Choir of the Temple Church & The Holst Singers feat. soprano Patricia Rozario, conductor: Stephen Layton)
Album
source: musicbrainz
· Album
Album: Schuon Hymnen / The Second Coming / Exhortation and Kohima / Shûnya
Album
source: musicbrainz
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography2,038 words · 10 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1364254709
Biography
Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer of choral religious works. Among his works are The Lamb (1982), The Protecting Veil (1988), and Song for Athene (1993).
Tavener first came to prominence with his cantata The Whale, premiered in 1968. Then aged 24, he was described by The Guardian as "the musical discovery of the year", while The Times said he was "among the very best creative talents of his generation". During his career he became one of the best known and popular composers of his generation, most particularly for The Protecting Veil, which as recorded by cellist Steven Isserlis became a best-selling album, and Song for AtheneSong for AtheneSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 25 tracks1Song for Athene6:172Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Weisheit1:263Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Adonai1:474Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Spross Aus Isais Wurzel0:515Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Schlüssel Davids1:496Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Morgenstern1:547Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O König Aller Völker1:498Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Immanuel3:189St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Call to the Midsummerbonfire I2:0110St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Call to the Midsummerbonfire II1:2211St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Cannot Be Caught by the Shot of a Gun1:0812St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Why We Look Forward to St. John's Arrival1:5113St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: St. John's Steed1:1614St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Fire Incantation1:0415St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: St. John's Song5:4016Hymns of Paradise10:5717Solfeggio4:0618Nunc Dimittis3:5019Tota Pulchra Es1:5820Tu Es Petrus1:0221Hymn to St. Cecilia: In a Garden Shady This Holy Lady2:5722Hymn to St. Cecilia: I Cannot Grow2:1023Hymn to St. Cecilia: O Ear Whose Creatures Cannot Wish6:1924Salve Regina4:3325Exultate Deo2:52 which was sung at the funeral of Princess Diana. The Lamb featured in the soundtrack for Paolo Sorrentino's film The Great Beauty. Tavener wrote the composition A New Beginning to commemorate the Millennium celebrations on New Year's Eve, 1999, during the opening of the Millennium Dome in London. Tavener was knighted in 2000 for his services to music and won an Ivor Novello Award, and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Sarum College in 2001.
Early life and education
Tavener was born on 28 January 1944 in Wembley, London. His parents ran a family building firm and his father was also an organist at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Frognal, Hampstead. At the age of 12, Tavener was taken to Glyndebourne to hear Mozart's The Magic Flute, a work he loved for the rest of his life. That same year he heard Stravinsky's most recent work, Canticum Sacrum, which he later described as "the piece that woke me up and made me want to be a composer".
Tavener became a music scholar at Highgate School (where a fellow pupil was John Rutter). The school choir was often employed by the BBC in works requiring boys' voices, so Tavener gained choral experience singing in Mahler's Third Symphony and Orff's Carmina Burana. He started to compose at Highgate, and also became a sufficiently proficient pianist to perform the second and third movements of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto and, in 1961 with the National Youth Orchestra, Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2. He also became organist and choirmaster in 1961 at St John's Presbyterian Church, Kensington (now St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church), a post he held for 14 years.
Tavener entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1962, where his tutors included Sir Lennox Berkeley. During his studies there he decided to give up the piano and devote himself to composition.
The Whale and early operas
Tavener first came to prominence in 1968 with his dramatic cantata The Whale, based on the Old Testament story of Jonah. It was premièred at the London Sinfonietta's début concert, which was also the opening concert of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tavener's younger brother, Roger, was then doing some building work on Ringo Starr's home and, gaining the musician's interest, persuaded the Beatles to have The Whale recorded by Apple Records and released in 1970. The following year Tavener began teaching at Trinity College of Music, London. Other works by Tavener released by Apple included 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: when staged in 1979 the opera was thought too static to be a successful drama.
Tavener had also been deeply affected by his brief 1974 marriage to the Greek dancer Victoria Maragopoulou. His chamber opera A Gentle Spirit (1977), with a libretto by McLarnon based on a story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, concerns a pawnbroker whose marriage fails to the extent that his wife commits suicide. It has been deemed "far superior to Thérèse, with the internal drama more suited to the stage". Significantly, it also touched on Russian Orthodoxy, to which McLarnon had been a convert for several years.
Conversion to Orthodox Christianity
Tavener converted to the Orthodox Church in 1977. Orthodox theology and liturgical traditions became a major influence on his work. 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.
Later career
Tavener's subsequent explorations of Russian and Greek culture resulted in Akhmatova Requiem: this failed to enjoy success either at its Edinburgh Festival premiere in 1981, or at its Proms' performance the following week where many of the audience left before it finished. Of more lasting success was Tavener's short unaccompanied four-part choral setting of William Blake's poem "The Lamb", written one afternoon in 1982 for his nephew Simon's third birthday. This simple homophonic piece is usually performed as a Christmas carol. Later prominent works include The Akathist of Thanksgiving of 1987, written in celebration of the millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church; The Protecting Veil, first performed by cellist Steven Isserlis and the London Symphony Orchestra at the 1989 Proms; and Song for Athene (1993). The two choral works were settings of texts by Mother Thekla, a Russian Orthodox abbess who was Tavener's long-time spiritual adviser until her death in 2011. Song for Athene in particular gained worldwide exposure when performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
Tavener's Fall and Resurrection, first performed in 2000, used instruments such as ram's horn, Ney flute and kaval. It was dedicated to the then Prince of Wales, with whom Tavener formed a lasting friendship. His work Ikon of Eros (2003) was commissioned for violinist Jorja Fleezanis, then concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, with vocal soloists and the Minnesota Chorale and recorded at the Cathedral of St. Paul, conducted by Paul Goodwin. Also in 2003 Tavener composed the exceptionally large work The Veil of the Temple (which was premièred at the Temple Church, London), based on texts from a number of religions. Identified by Tavener as "the supreme achievement of my life", it is set for four choirs, several orchestras and soloists and lasts at least seven hours. Prayer of the Heart, written for and performed by Björk, was premiered in 2004. In 2007 Tavener composed The Beautiful Names, a setting of the 99 names of God in the Muslim tradition, sung in Arabic.
It had been reported, particularly in the British press, that Tavener left Orthodox Christianity to explore a number of other different religious traditions, including Hinduism and Islam, and became a follower of the Traditionalist philosopher Frithjof Schuon. In an interview with The New York Times, conducted by British music journalist Michael White, Tavener said: "I reached a point where everything I wrote was terribly austere and hidebound by the tonal system of the Orthodox Church, and I felt the need, in my music at least, to become more universalist: to take in other colors, other languages." The interviewer also reported at the time that he "hasn't abandoned Orthodoxy. He remains devotedly Christian." Speaking on the BBC Four television programme Sacred Music in 2010, Tavener described himself as "essentially Orthodox". He reiterated both his desire to explore the musical traditions of other religions, and his adherence to the Orthodox Christian faith, on Start the Week, recorded only days before his death and broadcast on 11 November 2013.
In 2020 Sir David Pountney, former artistic director of the Welsh National Opera, announced that Tavener's final opera, Krishna (which was completed in 2005 but had remained in manuscript form) would be staged by Grange Park Opera. Pountney himself will be directing the production. It will premiere in 2026.
Personal life
In 1974 he married the Greek dancer Victoria Maragopoulou. They were married for eight months. In 1991 he married Maryanna Schaefer with whom he had three children, Theodora, Sofia and Orlando. He had considerable health problems throughout his life. He had a stroke in his thirties, heart surgery and the removal of a tumour in his forties, and had two successive heart attacks which left him frail. He was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in 1990. Lady Tavener broadcast a charity appeal on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008 on behalf of the Marfan Trust.
Tavener had an interest in classic cars, owning an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a Jaguar XJ6 and a white Bentley Mulsanne Turbo. He was also noted for wearing a white suit.
Death and legacy
Tavener died, aged 69, on 12 November 2013 at his home in Child Okeford, Dorset. Among those in the music world who paid tribute were composers John Rutter and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, cellist Steven Isserlis, Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, oboist Nicholas Daniel, Roger Wright (controller of BBC Radio 3 and director of the Proms), and soprano Patricia Rozario. A tribute was also received from Charles, Prince of Wales.
Tavener's funeral was held at Winchester Cathedral on 28 November 2013. The service was conducted in the Orthodox rite and was presided over by Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira, representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the most senior Orthodox bishop in the UK. About 700 mourners attended.
Rutter describes Tavener as having the "very rare gift" of being able to "bring an audience to a deep silence." According to Isserlis: "He had his own voice. He wasn't writing to be popular – he was writing the music he had to write."
Musical style
Whilst Tavener's earliest compositions were influenced by Igor Stravinsky and Olivier Messiaen—often invoking the sound world of Stravinsky (in particular his Canticum Sacrum), and the ecstatic quality found in various works by Messiaen—his later music became more sparse, using wide registral space and usually diatonically tonal. Too, Tavener recognised Arvo Pärt as "a kindred spirit" and shared with him a common religious tradition and a fondness for textural transparency.
Career highlights
1968 – The Whale premiered by the London Sinfonietta and subsequently recorded on the Beatles' Apple label.
1971 – A Celtic Requiem recorded by Apple.
1973 – Thérèse, the story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, commissioned by the Royal Opera, London.
4 September 1989 – premiere of The Protecting Veil at the Proms in London.
2000 – premiere of Fall and Resurrection in St Paul's Cathedral, London (4 January 2000).
2000 – knighthood in the Millennium Honours List.
2001 – soundtrack of Werner Herzog's short documentary Pilgrimage composed.
2003 – premiere of the all-night vigil The Veil of the Temple by the Holst Singers and the Choir of the Temple Church at the Temple Church, London.
2005 – premiere of Laila (Amu), Tavener's first dance collaboration, with Random Dance company and Wayne McGregor's choreography.
2006 – contributed Fragments of a Prayer to the Alfonso Cuarón film Children of Men.
2007 – premiere of The Beautiful Names by the BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra at Westminster Cathedral. The work, sung in Arabic, is a setting of the 99 names of Allah found in the Qur'an. Awarded honorary degree by the University of Winchester.
2008 – premiere of the anthem sung in St Paul's Cathedral in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
March 2009 – premiere of Tu ne sais pas for mezzo-soprano, timpani and strings. The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and Katherine Pracht singing texts drawn from poems by French poet Jean Biès (one of the work's dedicatees) and from Islamic and Hindu sources.
2011 – excerpts of Funeral Canticle from the album Eternity's Sunrise
Eternity's SunriseSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Eternity's Sunrise11:022Song of the Angel4:563Petra: A Ritual Dream10:354Sappho: Lyrical Fragments14:375Funeral Canticle23:54 by the Academy of Ancient Music were used multiple times in Terrence Malick's film The Tree of Life.
April 2013 – premieres of Tolstoy's Creed and Three Hymns of George Herbert by The City Choir of Washington at the Washington National Cathedral.
7 July 2013 – premieres of Love Duet from The Play of Krishna, If Ye Love Me and The Death of Ivan Ilyich during an all-Tavener concert given as part of the Manchester International Festival.
2013 – The Lamb included in the critically acclaimed soundtrack to Paolo Sorrentino's film The Great Beauty (Italy's official selection for the 2013 Academy Awards), which subsequently won.
Selected recordings
The Whale, Apple Records
The Protecting Veil, Virgin 561849-2
Schuon Lieder, Black Box BBM1101
The Veil of the Temple, RCA 82876661542
Songs of the Sky, Signum Records SIGCD149
"Tavener: Choral Works," Hyperion CDA67475
Missa Wellensis, Signum Records SIGCD442
Palintropos, A Flock Ascending AFACD001
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 33 | 91.9th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 66 | 96th |
| Studio albums | 52 | 99.3th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 53 | 99th |
| Recording span (years) | 43 | 83.8th |
| Genres | 11 | 97.2th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (66 release groups · 52 studio albums)
Albums · 52
1970 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 31:42
AThe Whale18:27BThe Whale (concluded)13:15Celtic Requiem (Requiem for Jenny Jones)
1971 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 43:58
ACeltic Requiem22:54B1Nomine Jesu11:32B2Coplas9:321991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:04:40
1The Uncreated Eros4:252Magnificat "Collegium Regale"7:083Nunc dimittis "Collegium Regale"3:104The Lamb3:285Hymn to the Mother of God2:266Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God3:407Today the Virgin (A Christmas Carol)2:328God is with us (A Christmas Proclamation)5:279Ode of Saint Andrew of Crete19:5210Love bade me welcome4:2411The Tiger4:3212Αιωνια3:361992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:01:05
1We Shall See Him as He Is: The Unfolding of the Great Mystery3:332We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon I2:143We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon II3:024We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon III - Refrain7:355We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon IV3:506We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon V - Refrain9:467We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon VI6:178We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon VII - Refrain6:369We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon VIII2:0210We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon IX3:0911We Shall See Him as He Is: The Tomb0:5912We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon X7:4013We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon XI4:221993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 37 tracks · 1:53:07
Disc 11Mary of Egypt: Act I. Prologue "With unearthly stillness"3:092Mary of Egypt: Act I. "The ways to salvation" (The Voice)7:233Mary of Egypt: Act I. "Here I sit and beat my brain" (Zossima)1:284Mary of Egypt: Act I. "Grunt and groan" (Swine men and women) / "We bring our wres" (Swine men and women)1:125Mary of Egypt: Act I. "Let me consider, yet once more" (Zossima)2:166Mary of Egypt: Act I. "Grunt and groan" (Swine men and women) / "Come and buy" (Swine men and women)1:217Mary of Egypt: Act I. "Never raised a thieving arm" (Zossima)2:568Mary of Egypt: Act I. "We see the cross before us" (Young Men)2:349Mary of Egypt: Act I. "Take Me!" (Mary)2:3810Mary of Egypt: Act I. "Zossima! The ways to salvation" (The Voice)4:3411Mary of Egypt: Act II. Prologue "With Unearthly Stillness"2:4812Mary of Egypt: Act II. "The ways to salvation" (The Voice)1:5613Mary of Egypt: Act II. "We are the desert monks" (Monks)0:5914Mary of Egypt: Act II. Aria "And I, the stranger" (Zossima)2:2915Mary of Egypt: Act II. The Exaltation of the Cross5:0016Mary of Egypt: Act II. The Prayer of Mary "O Virgin Lady" (Mary)4:3217Mary of Egypt: Act II. "I will praise the Lord" (Monks)5:02Disc 21Mary of Egypt: Act III. Prologue "With unearthly stillness"1:032Mary of Egypt: Act III. "Why run from me" (Zossima)1:003Mary of Egypt: Act III. "I pray you" (Mary)1:084Mary of Egypt: Act III. Duet "I beg you" (Zossima, Mary)7:215Mary of Egypt: Act III. "Monk-priest Zossima" (Mary)2:366Mary of Egypt: Act III. "Holy, Holy" (Angels)1:237Mary of Egypt: Act III. "In Egypt, I lived" (Mary)0:578Mary of Egypt: Act III. "But here, my Lady" (Zossima)4:589Mary of Egypt: Act IV. The Angels' song0:3910Mary of Egypt: Act IV. Episode I. Zossima searches for Mary1:4411Mary of Egypt: Act IV. Episode II. Mary walks on the water1:4112Mary of Egypt: Act IV. Episode III. Communion1:4813Mary of Egypt: Act IV. Episode IV. Mary returns on the water1:4414Mary of Egypt: Act IV. Episode V. Zossima goes2:1715Mary of Egypt: Act V. Threnody for Mary3:1916Mary of Egypt: Act V. "Priest-monk Zossima" (Zossima)3:1217Love's whirligig1:4018Mary of Egypt: Act V. "Judge not!" (Chorus)4:2519Mary of Egypt: Act V. "The ways to salvation" (The Voice)4:0320John Tavener in conversation with Michael Stewart on Mary of Egypt13:52The Last Sleep of the Virgin / The Hidden Treasure
1994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 1:12:12
1The Last Sleep of the Virgin24:372Summa4:403Fratres11:534The Hidden Treasure31:021994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:07:19
1Two Hymns to the Mother of God: A Hymn to the Mother of God3:252Two Hymns to the Mother of God: Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God5:023The Lamb3:424The Tiger6:065Ikon of Light: Movement 1 FOS I, DOXA5:036Ikon of Light: Movement 2 piu intensita3:197Ikon of Light: Movement 3 TRISAGION I2:388Ikon of Light: Movement 4a MYSTIC PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT5:589Ikon of Light: Movement 4b3:1410Ikon of Light: Movement 4c4:4311Ikon of Light: Movement 4d3:1712Ikon of Light: Movement 4e2:4513Ikon of Light: Movement 5 TRISAGION II2:4514Ikon of Light: Movement 6 FOS II3:5215Ikon of Light: Movement 7 EPIPHANIA4:0116Today the Virgin2:4817Eonia4:411994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:02:42
1Angels7:352Annunciation5:263The Lament of the Mother of God15:384Thunder Entered Her17:125Hymns of Paradise10:536God Is With Us5:581994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:17:33
1Akathist of Thanksgiving: I. Slava Tebie Kontakion 1 / Ikos 17:322Akathist of Thanksgiving: II. Slava Tebie Kontakion 2 / Ikos 26:273Akathist of Thanksgiving: III. Slava Tebie Kontakion 3 / Ikos 37:014Akathist of Thanksgiving: IV. Slava Tebie Kontakion 4 / Ikos 46:395Akathist of Thanksgiving: V. Slava Tebie Kontakion 5 / Ikos 55:456Akathist of Thanksgiving: VI. Slava Tebie Kontakion 6 / Ikos 67:437Akathist of Thanksgiving: VII. Slava Tebie Kontakion 7 / Ikos 76:548Akathist of Thanksgiving: VIII. Slava Tebie Kontakion 8 / Ikos 86:549Akathist of Thanksgiving: IX. Slava Tebie Kontakion 9 / Ikos 910:1410Akathist of Thanksgiving: X. Slava Tebie Kontakion 1012:24The Protecting Veil / Thrinos / Eternal Memory
1995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 57:41
1The Protecting Veil42:352Thrinos5:393Eternal Memory9:271995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:06:45
1The Lamb4:002Innocence24:333The Tyger6:114Annunciation6:035Hymn to the Mother of God2:476Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God5:007Little Requiem for Father Malachy Lynch10:598Song for Athene7:121995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 1:07:01
1Eis Thanaton14:562Eis Thanaton12:143Eis Thanaton10:484Theophany29:031997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:10:07
1Svyati "O Holy One"13:592Eternal Memory: I. With great peace and serenity3:063Eternal Memory: II. Slightly grotesque; dance-like; rough and an illusion of motion3:124Eternal Memory: III. With great peace and serenity4:225Akhmatova Songs: I. Dante2:136Akhmatova Songs: II. Pushkin and Lermontov1:547Akhmatova Songs: III. Boris Pasternak1:518Akhmatova Songs: IV. Couplet2:139Akhmatova Songs: V. The Muse3:1610Akhmatova Songs: VI. Death4:1911The Hidden Treasure25:3212Chant4:10The Protecting Veil / Wake Up... And Die
1998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:07:06
1The Protecting Veil: I. The Protecting Veil15:002The Protecting Veil: II. Annunciation2:583The Protecting Veil: III. The Incarnation3:444The Protecting Veil: IV. Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross12:035The Protecting Veil: V. Christ is Risen!3:006The Protecting Veil: VI. The Dormition of the Mother of God7:567The Protecting Veil: VII. The Protecting Veil3:148Wake Up... And Die19:111998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 58:47
1... Depart in Peace25:242My Gaze Is Ever Upon You19:333Tears of the Angels13:501998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 1:00:07
1The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil7:522The Protecting Veil: The Nativity of the Mother of God5:033The Protecting Veil: Annunciation2:444The Protecting Veil: The Incarnation3:495The Protecting Veil: Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross8:186The Protecting Veil: The Resurrection2:157The Protecting Veil: The Dormition of the Mother of God5:038The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil2:449The Last Sleep of the Virgin22:19Strong on Oaks - The Protecting Veil
1998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:07:19
1First Movement3:512Second Movement3:313Third Movement3:034Fourth Movement3:055Fifth Movement2:566The Protecting Veil9:357The Nativity Of The Mother Of God6:278The Annuciation3:349The Incarnation4:3310The Lament Of The Mother Of God At The Cross11:4211The Resurrection3:0512The Dormition8:1813The Protecting Veil3:391998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:04:27
1Funeral Ikos7:462The Lamb3:143A Hymn to the Mother of God2:234Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God3:335The Protecting Veil (First Section)8:486Angels7:287The Lament of the Mother of God15:378Magnificat (Collegium Regale)7:029Nunc Dimittis (Collegium Regale)2:4510God Is With Us5:511999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:05:04
1Eternity's Sunrise11:022Song of the Angel4:563Petra: A Ritual Dream10:354Sappho: Lyrical Fragments14:375Funeral Canticle23:54The Protecting Veil / In Alium
1999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 59:54
1The Protecting Veil: Section 115:072The Protecting Veil: Annunciation3:203The Protecting Veil: The Incarnation3:384The Protecting Veil: Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross10:235The Protecting Veil: Christ is risen!2:316The Protecting Veil: The Dormition of the Mother of God7:107The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil3:098In Alium: Section A4:059In Alium: Section B3:3910In Alium: Section C0:4111In Alium: Section D6:112000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:01:57
1Fall and Resurrection: Part 1: Silence, Darkness: In the Beginning, Before Time1:152Fall and Resurrection: Part 1: Representation of Chaos1:323Fall and Resurrection: Part 1: Paradise6:084Fall and Resurrection: Part 1: The Serpent2:435Fall and Resurrection: Part 1: Catastrophe: The Implications of the Fall6:356Fall and Resurrection: Part 1: Adam's Lament1:077Fall and Resurrection: Part 1: The Lament of Mankind3:548Fall and Resurrection: Part 2: Prediction16:399Fall and Resurrection: Part 3: The Incarnation of the Logos17:4010Fall and Resurrection: Part 3: Cosmic Dance of the Resurrection: All Is Transfigured4:242001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:09:24
1Golgotha: The Descent From the Cross1:572Stasis I6:163"Wherewithal Shall a Young Man..."5:074Thrinos4:435Epitaphios Procession I: From Golgotha to the Anointing Stone5:276The Descent From the Cross II1:407Stasis II2:078"Let Now Your Mercy..."3:499"Your Hands Have Made Me..."2:1210Thrinos II4:2711Epitaphios Procession II: To the Tomb Entrance5:0112The Descent From the Cross III1:1613Stasis III3:2014"Princes Have Persecuted Me..."4:0315"I Awaited Lord Your Salvation..."3:1316"Look Upon Me and Have Mercy..."2:0117Thrinos III2:5418Procession Into Hades (Into the Tomb)5:2719Resurrection in Hades4:242001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 1:02:06
1Total Eclipse40:402Agraphon21:26Song for Athene / Svyati: and other choral works
2001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:10:52
1God Is With Us - Christmas Proclamation5:292Song for Athene5:433The Lamb3:514The Tiger5:225Magnificat7:366Nunc Dimittis2:587Funeral Ikos7:158Two Hymns to the Mother of God: Hymn to the Mother of God2:369Two Hymns to the Mother of God: Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God3:5110Love Bade Me Welcome4:5711As One Who Has Slept4:2112The Lord's Prayer3:3513Svyati "O Holy One"13:18Diódia / The World / Akhmatova Songs / Many Years
2001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:02:33
1The World10:102Diódia: Solemn —5:523Diódia: [rehearsal letter I]4:554Diódia: Solemn and radiant4:445Diódia: [rehearsal letter Z]4:526Diódia: [rehearsal letter G1]4:327Diódia: [rehearsal letter M1]4:398Diódia: [rehearsal letter S1]4:399Many Years3:2110Akhmatova Songs: Dante2:1811Akhmatova Songs: Pushkin and Lermontov1:5412Akhmatova Songs: Boris Pasternak1:4113Akhmatova Songs: Couplet2:1214Akhmatova Songs: The Muse2:5115Akhmatova Songs: Death3:53Ikon of Light / Funeral Ikos / Carol: The Lamb
2001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 55:21
1Ikon of Light: 1. Phos I4:182Ikon of Light: 2. Dhoxa3:513Ikon of Light: 3. Trisagion I: Agios o Theos2:294Ikon of Light: 4. Mystic Prayer to the Holy Spirit20:245Ikon of Light: 5. Trisagion II: Agios o Theos2:336Ikon of Light: 6. Phos II4:207Ikon of Light: 7. Epiphania4:078Funeral Ikos9:389Carol: The Lamb3:412002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:08:08
1The Hidden Face17:502Missa "Gloria Tibi Trinitas": Sanctus / Benedictus8:013In Nomine (2)3:374In Nomine A 63:275In Nomine A 55:476Apokatástasis2:517Nipson20:548An Evening Hymn5:412003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:04:56
1Song for Athene5:372Today the Virgin2:433The Tyger4:424The Lamb3:335The Protecting Veil: The Dormition of the Mother of God6:506The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil2:417A Hymn to the Mother of God2:228The Veil of the Temple: What God Is We Do Not Know3:069Funeral Ikos7:4710Threnos5:5211God Is With Us (A Christmas Proclamation)5:4512A Christmas Round1:4313Elizabeth Full of Grace12:152003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:04:15
1Vespers hymn: O lux beata trinitas2:182Jube domine / Lection: In principio4:223Come and do Your will in me (voices & strings)8:074Compline Hymn: Christe qui lux es2:595Lectio ysaye prophete / Lection: Surge illuminare2:316As one who has slept (voices & strings)4:587Nocturn hymn: Medie noctis tempus est2:578Leccio libri apokalipsis / Lection: Vidi civitatem5:119The Lord's Prayer3:5810Alleluia. Quinque prudentes virgines4:1711The Bridgeroom (voices & strings)17:4112Hymn for the New Light: Inventor rutili4:562003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:03:18
1Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars6:282The Souls of the Righteous9:343Magnificat4:054Mother and Child12:445Lute-Book Lullaby4:176O Be Joyful in the Lord2:167The Seasons of His Mercies6:238My Song Is Love Unknown17:312003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:12:04
1Ikon of Eros: I. Metamorphothes. Eros17:262Ikon of Eros: II. Eros7:493Ikon of Eros: III. Ekstasis. Ekstasis. Eros15:534Ikon of Eros: IV. Metamorphothes. Alliluia. Eros20:105John Tavener in interview with Brian Newhouse10:462004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 44 tracks · 2:28:11
Disc 11The Veil of the Temple: Cycle I: Mystical Love Song of the Sufis5:062The Veil of the Temple: Cycle I: Primordial Call2:423The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Primordial Call0:314The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: God's Creation5:405The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Outside the Gates of Paradise2:516The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Our Father2:587The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Holy Mary3:008The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Alleluia Theos Erastos1:449The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Gospel of St John4:2310The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Thrice-Holy Hymn - Resurrection2:5911The Veil of the Temple: Cycle II: Beatitudes of St. Isaac the Syrian4:3712The Veil of the Temple: Cycle III: Primordial Call1:1813The Veil of the Temple: Cycle III: Psalm of Creation1:4914The Veil of the Temple: Cycle III: O Blessed Paradise, Pray for Me3:1315The Veil of the Temple: Cycle IV: Primordial Call1:5516The Veil of the Temple: Cycle IV: Mystery of the Nothingness of God2:1517The Veil of the Temple: Cycle V: Primordial Call1:5118The Veil of the Temple: Cycle V: You Mantle Yourself in Light3:4219The Veil of the Temple: Cycle V: Jesus Prayer1:1420The Veil of the Temple: Cycle V: The Lord's Prayer6:5821The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VI: Primordial Call2:0722The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VI: What God Is We Do Not Know2:3423The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VI: God of Strength2:4524The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VI: Kyrie Eleison - Chant2:1725The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VI: Te Re Rem - Ecstatic Chant3:3126The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VI: Jesus Having Risen From the Tomb2:22Disc 21The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Apocalyptic Primordial Call1:262The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Absolved in the Mirror2:053The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Jesus Prayer1:374The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Hesychast Meditation4:175The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Mary Theotokos2:576The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Hail, Veil of the Temple1:217The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Mother of God5:068The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Alleluia4:589The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VII: Gospel of St. John13:4710The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Maranatha2:5111The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Awake Thou That Sleepest2:1212The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Into Beauty1:1113The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Rending of the Veil of the Temple: Maya Atma5:4014The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Knights Templar in the Temple Church4:1815The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Light of Christ4:3116The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Cosmic Rising4:1317The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: New Jerusalem - Upanishad Hymn5:5518The Veil of the Temple: Cycle VIII: Shántih3:24Schuon Hymnen / The Second Coming / Exhortation and Kohima / Shûnya
2004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:13:23
1Birthday Sleep6:222Butterfly Dreams: I. Butterfly Dreams based on Chuang0:523Butterfly Dreams: II. Haiku by Kokku0:364Butterfly Dreams: III. Haiku by Buson1:015Butterfly Dreams: IV. Haiku by Issa1:046Butterfly Dreams: V. Haiku, anon1:017Butterfly Dreams: VI. The Butterfly by Pavel Friedmann3:448Butterfly Dreams: VII. Butterfly Song from Acoman India1:419Butterfly Dreams: VIII. Butterfly Dreams based on Chuang0:5310The Second Coming6:4111Schuon Hymnen13:1612As one who has slept4:0313The Bridal Chamber7:4714Exhortation and Kohima6:2615Shûnya17:562006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 54:32
1Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza I1:592Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament I4:093Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza II1:314Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament II5:295Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza III1:216Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament III5:477Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza IV1:358Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament IV6:189Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza V1:3510Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament V6:2911Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza VI2:0412Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament VI7:1913Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza VII1:4114Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament VII7:152008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 28 tracks
1Refrain I2First Dance (con Rubato)3Refrain II4First Lament5Refrain III6Second Dance7Refrain IV8Second Lament9Refrain V10Third Dance11He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven I12The Old Men Admiring Themselves In The Water13To A Child Dancing In The Wind14Two Years Later15The Fiddler Of Dooney16A Deep-Sworn Vow17Sweet Dancer18The Stolen Child19He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven II20The Countess Cathleen In Paradise21Lament22Last Prayer23Exaltation24When You Are Old I25A Cradle Song26He Reproves The Curlew27When You Are Old II28Melina2008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:03:44
1Verbum caro1:402Nowell! Nowell! Out of Your Sleep3:303Remember O Thou Man6:284Sweet Was the Song4:055Ave Rex Angelorum3:566There Is No Rose4:157Ding! Dong! Merrily on High2:408Rocking2:359Unto Us Is Born a Son7:1810Verbum caro1:3911Birthday Sleep5:2112O, Do Not Move2:0113A Nativity2:1314Marienhymne4:4015O Thou Gentle Light4:4316Angels6:402010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 1:41:15
Disc 11Towards Silence - For Four String Quartets and a Large Tibetan Singing Bowl: Vaishvānara / Taijasa / Prājnā / Turīya33:45Disc 21Towards Silence - For Four String Quartets and a Large Tibetan Singing Bowl: Vaishvānara / Taijasa / Prājnā / Turīya33:45Disc 31Towards Silence - For Four String Quartets and a Large Tibetan Singing Bowl: Vaishvānara / Taijasa / Prājnā / Turīya33:452010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:13:01
1Song for Athene6:552The Lamb4:113Iepo Oneipo15:484As One Who Has Slept4:285Birthday Sleep6:206Three Holy Sonnets: Spit In My Face6:167Three Holy Sonnets: Death, Be Not Proud5:318Three Holy Sonnets: I Am A Little World Cunningly4:059Schoun Hymnen15:0810The Lords Prayer4:192011 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 58:32
1The Lamb3:092Magnificat6:493Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis: Nunc Dimittis2:5642 Hymns to the Mother of God: No. 1. A Hymn to the Mother of God3:025Song for Athene7:176Annunciation5:497Parting Gift for Tam Farrow2:008As one who has slept4:119The Tyger5:4310Hymn of the Unwaning Light13:2411The Lord's Prayer4:122012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:03:03
1Requiem: I. Primordial White Light8:192Requiem: II. Kyrie Eleison3:503Requiem: III. Advaita Vedanta 'The Still Point'0:554Requiem: IV. Kali's Dance6:325Requiem: V. Advaita Vedanta 'The Still Point'0:546Requiem: VI. Interlude4:327Requiem: VII. Ãnanda9:428Mahãshakti: Shakti8:059Mahãshakti: Mahãshakti10:1810Eternal Memory9:562013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 24 tracks · 1:12:30
1Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: I Introduzione: Lento2:112Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: II Marcia: Allegro1:493Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: III Canto: Con moto1:194Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: IV Barcarola: Lento1:335Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: V Dialogo: Allegretto1:436Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: VI Fuga: Andante espressivo2:557Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: VII Recitativo: Fantastico1:088Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: VIII Moto Perpetuo: Presto0:579Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: IX Passacaglia: Lento solenne4:2610Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: Mournful Song0:3411Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: Autumn0:1912Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: Street Song0:2713Third Suite for Cello, op. 87: Depart in Peace, with the Saints (Kontakion)2:4314Greensleeves2:0615The Salley Gardens2:3316Tre Laude Dolce: I.6:2617Tre Laude Dolce: II.5:1918Tre Laude Dolce: III.5:4819Since She Whom I Loved3:2820Threnos7:1221Chant4:2622Concord2:2623Improvisation9:5224Oliver Cromwell0:502013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 1 track · 34:02
1Pratirūpa (Version for Piano and String Orchestra)34:022014 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks
Disc 1A1The Protecting Veil: The Protecting VeilA2The Protecting Veil: The Nativity of the Mother of GodA3The Protecting Veil: The AnnunciationA4The Protecting Veil: The IncarnationB1The Protecting Veil: The Lament of the Mother of God at the CrossB2The Protecting Veil: The ResurrectionB3The Protecting Veil: The DormitionB4The Protecting Veil: The Protecting VeilDisc 21The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil2The Protecting Veil: The Nativity of the Mother of God3The Protecting Veil: The Annunciation4The Protecting Veil: The Incarnation5The Protecting Veil: The Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross6The Protecting Veil: The Resurrection7The Protecting Veil: The Dormition8The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil2015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:16:07
1Resurrection: Paradise Choir6:142Sunrise in Your Heart3:153A New Commandment3:304A Buddhist Miniature2:285Ikon of the Nativity6:266O isplendor11:307The Founder’s Prayer1:438The Lamb3:209Take him, earth, for cherishing3:5010Two Hadiths9:1711Nunc dimittis (second setting)3:2612A Cradle Song4:2213They are all gone into the world of light3:1514O, do not move2:1415O that we were there5:2216Resurrection: Paradise Choir5:552016 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:13:31
1Missa Wellensis: Kyrie6:092Missa Wellensis: Gloria5:393Missa Wellensis: Sanctus and Benedictus2:574Missa Wellensis: Agnus Dei2:175The Lord's Prayer2:206Love bade me welcome6:017Preces and Responses: Part One2:068Psalm 121: I Will Lift up Mine Eyes unto the Hills5:169Magnificat and Nunc dimittis "Collegium Regale": Magnificat7:2310Magnificat and Nunc dimittis "Collegium Regale": Nunc dimittis3:3911Preces and Responses: Part Two9:3812Song for Athene6:4313Prayer for the healing of the sick8:5914They are all gone into the world of light3:4015Preces and Responses: Final Responses0:442018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 58:38
1Svyati13:082Heav'nly Harmony6:263Look in thy Glass4:07499 Words to my Darling Children7:065Improvisation on Tavener themes5:076Threnos6:247The Tablet of your Heart5:108Maha Maya11:102019 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:10:02
1God Is with Us, “A Christmas Proclamation”5:372Hymn to the Mother of God2:563Love Bade Me Welcome5:234They Are All Gone into the World of Light4:295Annunciation5:406As One Who Has Slept8:137Song for Athene5:538The Lamb3:349The Lord’s Prayer2:4210Angels8:0311Five Anthems from The Veil of the Temple: You Mantle Yourself in Light5:5812Five Anthems from The Veil of the Temple: Mother of God, Here I Stand2:5313Five Anthems from The Veil of the Temple: What God Is, We Do Not Know2:3514Five Anthems from The Veil of the Temple: Awed by the Beauty3:1815Five Anthems from The Veil of the Temple: O Mary Theotokos2:482019 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:07:24
1He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven0:382The Protecting Veil: I. The Protecting Veil9:073The Protecting Veil: II. The Nativity of the Mother of God5:424The Protecting Veil: III. Annunciation3:225The Protecting Veil: IV. The Incarnation3:466The Protecting Veil: V. The Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross10:447The Protecting Veil: VI. The Resurrection2:428The Protecting Veil: VII. The Dormition6:569The Protecting Veil: VIII. The Protecting Veil3:4910The Mother of God1:0411Mother and Child7:0612World Wheel XXVII: ‘I heard the gypsy’s violin play’1:0013The Song of Separation and Waiting11:282020 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:11:57
1Preces and Responses12:192The Death of Ivan Ilyich27:053Mahámátar15:484Popule meus12:195No Longer Mourn for Me4:26Vaughan Williams / MacMillan / Tavener
2023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:12:17
1Mass in G minor: Kyrie4:262Mass in G minor: Gloria4:103Mass in G minor: Credo6:174Mass in G minor: Sanctus2:465Mass in G minor: Benedictus2:236Mass in G minor: Agnus Dei3:277O taste and see1:388What man is he that feareth the Lord?6:169Mass of St Edward the Confessor: Kyrie3:0510Mass of St Edward the Confessor: Gloria5:0411Mass of St Edward the Confessor: Sanctus & Benedictus3:3612Mass of St Edward the Confessor: Agnus Dei3:0113A special appeal6:3514Who shall separate us?3:0415Magnificat and Nunc dimittis “Collegium Regale”: Magnificat7:2716Magnificat and Nunc dimittis “Collegium Regale”: Nunc dimittis3:1117Song for Athene5:51— · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 52:57
1Thunder Entered Her17:122The Lamb3:503The Tiger4:344Hymn to the Mother of God3:045Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God4:126Responsorium in Memorium Annon Lee Silver2:467Song for Athene6:308Eonia5:049God Is With Us5:45Ikons: Meditations in Words and Music
— · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:15:46
1Mary of Egypt ('Bless' Duet From Act Three)7:272I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes5:563The Lamb3:374The Repentant Thief4:035To a Child Dancing in the Wind (1st Movement)4:486The Annunciation (Extract)3:407The Protecting Veil8:508Lament of the Mother of God (Extract)7:049God Is With Us--a Christmas Proclamation5:1910Ikon of Light (6th & 7th Movements: 'Fos II' and 'Epiphania')7:4111The Hidden Treasure (Extract)5:5812Akathist of Thanksgiving (Kontakion 8)7:0213We Shall See Him as He Is (Ikon Xi)4:21
Album · 14
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Akhmatova Requiem / Six Russian Folk SongsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 24 tracks · 1:08:491Akhmatova Requiem: Requiem0:48 2Akhmatova Requiem: I Dedication12:44 3Akhmatova Requiem: II Introduction3:36 4Akhmatova Requiem: III3:08 5Akhmatova Requiem: IV0:37 6Akhmatova Requiem: V1:18 7Akhmatova Requiem: VI1:59 8Akhmatova Requiem: VII3:35 9Akhmatova Requiem: VIII1:27 10Akhmatova Requiem: IX1:30 11Akhmatova Requiem: X The Sentence1:13 12Akhmatova Requiem: XI To Death2:34 13Akhmatova Requiem: XII1:39 14Akhmatova Requiem: XIII Crucifixion0:44 15Akhmatova Requiem: XIV4:36 16Akhmatova Requiem: XV1:04 17Akhmatova Requiem: XVI Epilogue2:15 18Akhmatova Requiem: XVII7:31 19Six Russian Folk-Songs: O Dark Autumn Night3:47 20Six Russian Folk-Songs: In the Garden Stands a Pretty Birch Tree2:42 21Six Russian Folk-Songs: Darling, Let Us Walk by the Banks of the Volga2:00 22Six Russian Folk-Songs: I've Seen the Great Wide World1:16 23Six Russian Folk-Songs: Pretty Maid, Why Do You Stare So Longingly?2:54 24Six Russian Folk-Songs: Kalinka (My Little Berry)3:52 | Compilation | 1997 | |
| 2000 | GormenghastSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 24 tracks · 1:07:031Song of Titus3:41 2Celebration1:02 3Cat Room1:13 4Burning the Library2:38 5The Christening2:45 6Fuchsia & Steerpike4:41 7The Sisters1:31 8Fuchsia & Lord Groan4:17 9The Madness of Lord Groan2:35 10The Death of Swelter3:55 11The Earling1:58 12Keda1:10 13The Sisters in Prison2:18 14Freedom1:19 15In the Forest2:45 16Irma's Romance2:20 17The Carver's Ceremony2:50 18The Death of Barquentine4:23 19The Red Room5:00 20Sarabande for the Sisters2:30 21Ceremony in the Rain1:22 22The Death of Steerpike5:06 23Fuchsia's Funeral3:43 24Farewell to Gormenghast2:01 | Soundtrack | 10 January 2000 | |
| 2000 | Song for AtheneSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 25 tracks · 1:14:171Song for Athene6:17 2Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Weisheit1:26 3Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Adonai1:47 4Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Spross Aus Isais Wurzel0:51 5Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Schlüssel Davids1:49 6Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Morgenstern1:54 7Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O König Aller Völker1:49 8Seven Magnificat Antiphons: O Immanuel3:18 9St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Call to the Midsummerbonfire I2:01 10St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Call to the Midsummerbonfire II1:22 11St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Cannot Be Caught by the Shot of a Gun1:08 12St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Why We Look Forward to St. John's Arrival1:51 13St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: St. John's Steed1:16 14St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: Fire Incantation1:04 15St. John's Day Songs for Midsummer's Eve: St. John's Song5:40 16Hymns of Paradise10:57 17Solfeggio4:06 18Nunc Dimittis3:50 19Tota Pulchra Es1:58 20Tu Es Petrus1:02 21Hymn to St. Cecilia: In a Garden Shady This Holy Lady2:57 22Hymn to St. Cecilia: I Cannot Grow2:10 23Hymn to St. Cecilia: O Ear Whose Creatures Cannot Wish6:19 24Salve Regina4:33 25Exultate Deo2:52 | Compilation | July 2000 | |
| 2004 | A PortraitSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 26 tracks · 2:35:41Disc 1 1In alium: Section A4:14 2To a Child Dancing in the Wind: I. He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven5:23 3The Lamb3:53 4The Tyger5:26 5Ikon of Light: I. FOS I, DOXA5:00 6Ikon of Light: II. PIU INTENSITA3:25 7Mandelion (extract)3:30 8Chant (extract)3:47 9Ikon of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (extract)2:43 10The Protecting Veil: Section I15:08 11Mary of Egypt: Act III. Bless Duet7:27 12Akhmatova Songs: No. 5. The Muse2:59 13Diódia: Solemn5:53 14Diódia: [rehearsal letter I]5:02 15Song for Athene5:39 Disc 21Zodiacs2:29 2Prayer of the Heart15:17 3Ikon of Eros: II. Eros7:56 4Mother and Child (extract)4:38 5John Tavener Reflects... (a recorded interview): "My earliest musical memories..."8:21 6John Tavener Reflects... (a recorded interview): "I saw in the Russian Orthodox Church..."8:13 7John Tavener Reflects... (a recorded interview): "I think The Protecting Veil..."8:04 8John Tavener Reflects... (a recorded interview): "The Icelandic pop singer Björk..."6:19 9John Tavener Reflects... (a recorded interview): "The fact that I've been given..."4:11 10John Tavener Reflects... (a recorded interview): "When my publishers ring..."5:39 11John Tavener Reflects... (a recorded interview): "The only goal..."5:05 | Compilation | February 2004 | |
| 2004 | The Best of John TavernerSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 1:10:391Funeral Ikos7:45 2The Lamb3:13 3Two Hymns to the Mother of God2:22 4Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God3:34 5The Protecting Veil8:47 6Angels7:28 7Lament of the Mother of God15:37 8Magnificat7:01 9Nunc Dimittis2:45 10God Is With Us: A Christmas Proclamation5:52 11Song for Athene6:15 | Compilation | 3 March 2004 | |
| 2006 | Children of MenSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracks · 1:10:341Fragments of a Prayer15:22 2Eternity's Sunrise10:53 3"War, He Sung, Is Toil and Trouble"4:45 4Nun Will Die Sonn' So Hell Aufgeh'n [Kindertotenlieder]5:32 5Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (1959-61)10:00 6Song of the Angel4:35 7The Lamb (for string orchestra)3:20 8Mother and Child12:39 9Mother of God, Here I Stand (for string orchestra)3:28 | Soundtrack | 12 December 2006 | |
| 2008 | Piano MusicSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks · 1:00:581Zodiacs1:56 2Ypakoë13:33 3Palin8:43 4Mandoodles4:55 5Pratirūpa29:43 6In Memory of Two Cats2:08 | Compilation | 2008 | |
| 2009 | The Protecting Veil / The Last Sleep of the Virgin / Choral MusicSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 15 tracks · 2:12:21Disc 1 1The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil8:42 2The Protecting Veil: The Nativity of the Mother of God6:22 3The Protecting Veil: The Annunciation3:18 4The Protecting Veil: The Incarnation3:40 5The Protecting Veil: The Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross9:38 6The Protecting Veil: The Resurrection2:37 7The Protecting Veil: The Dormition7:33 8The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil3:12 9The Last Sleep of the Virgin24:37 Disc 21Angels7:35 2Annunciation5:26 3The Lament of the Mother of God15:38 4Thunder Entered Her17:12 5Hymns of Paradise10:53 6God Is With Us5:58 | Compilation | 2009 | |
| 2010 | The Whale / Celtic RequiemSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks · 1:16:031The Whale: Documentary7:12 2The Whale: Melodrama and Pantomime3:14 3The Whale: Invocation0:43 4The Whale: The Storm2:39 5The Whale: The Swallowing4:45 6The Whale: The Prayer3:08 7The Whale: In the Belly9:27 8The Whale: The Vomiting0:54 9Celtic Requiem: a) Requiem Aeternam8:10 10Celtic Requiem: b) Dies Irae8:32 11Celtic Requiem: c) Requiescat in Pace6:18 12Nomine Jesu11:29 13Coplas9:32 | Compilation | 25 October 2010 | |
| 2012 | We Shall See Him As He Is / Eis Thanaton / TheophanySearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 18 tracks · 2:08:08Disc 1 1We Shall See Him as He Is: The Unfolding of the Great Mystery3:33 2We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon I2:14 3We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon II3:02 4We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon III - Refrain7:35 5We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon IV3:50 6We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon V - Refrain9:46 7We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon VI6:17 8We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon VII - Refrain6:36 9We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon VIII2:02 10We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon IX3:09 11We Shall See Him as He Is: The Tomb0:59 12We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon X7:40 13We Shall See Him as He Is: Ikon XI4:22 Disc 21Eis Thanaton: To this shrine of the first Christians (Son)14:56 2Eis Thanaton: Ask me not. Never search the inexpressible mystery of death (Mother)12:14 3Eis Thanaton: Wait! Do not forsake your grieving son (Son, Mother, Church)10:48 4Theophany: Section 111:42 5Theophany: Section 217:23 | Compilation | June 2012 | |
| 2013 | BBC Music, Volume 22, Number 2: Taverner: The Protecting Veil / Finzi: Dies natalisSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks · 1:09:551The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil8:43 2The Protecting Veil: The Nativity of the Mother of God6:15 3The Protecting Veil: The Annunciation3:12 4The Protecting Veil: The Incarnation3:32 5The Protecting Veil: The Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross8:56 6The Protecting Veil: The Resurrection2:50 7The Protecting Veil: The Dormition7:25 8The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil3:51 9Dies natalis, op. 8: Intrada5:32 10Dies natalis, op. 8: Rhapsody: Recitativo Stromentato6:56 11Dies natalis, op. 8: The Rapture: Danza3:59 12Dies natalis, op. 8: Wonder: Arioso4:17 13Dies natalis, op. 8: The Salutation: Aria4:27 | Compilation,Live | 29 October 2013 | |
| 2014 | Essential TavenerSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks · 1:21:261The Lamb3:37 2The Tyger4:41 3Song for Athene5:33 4The Veil of the Temple: Mother of God, here I stand (for strings)3:31 5The Protecting Veil: The Dormition of the Mother of God6:50 6The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil2:45 7Today the Virgin2:42 8A Hymn to the Mother of God2:20 9The Veil of the Temple: What God is we do not know3:04 10Funeral Ikos7:46 11Threndos5:50 12God is with us (A Christmas proclamation)5:44 13A Christmas Round1:42 14Elizabeth full of grace12:12 15Dhyāna (A song for Nicola)6:18 16Song for Athene (for solo violin and orchestra)6:51 | Compilation | 11 February 2014 | |
| 2014 | The Essential John Tavener on NaxosSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 60 tracks · 5:09:53Disc 1 1The Protecting Veil: Section 115:07 2The Protecting Veil: Annunciation3:20 3The Protecting Veil: The Incarnation3:38 4The Protecting Veil: Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross10:23 5The Protecting Veil: Christ is risen!2:31 6The Protecting Veil: The Dormition of the Mother of God7:10 7The Protecting Veil: The Protecting Veil3:09 8In Alium: Section A4:05 9In Alium: Section B3:39 10In Alium: Section C0:41 11In Alium: Section D6:11 Disc 21Zodiacs1:56 2Ypakoë13:33 3Palin8:43 4Mandoodles4:55 5Pratirūpa29:43 6In Memory of Two Cats2:08 Disc 31Verbum caro1:40 2Nowell! Nowell! Out of Your Sleep3:30 3Remember O Thou Man6:28 4Sweet Was the Song4:05 5Ave Rex Angelorum3:56 6There Is No Rose4:15 7Ding! Dong! Merrily on High2:40 8Rocking2:35 9Unto Us Is Born a Son7:18 10Verbum caro1:39 11Birthday Sleep5:21 12O, Do Not Move2:01 13A Nativity2:13 14Marienhymne4:40 15O Thou Gentle Light4:43 16Angels6:40 Disc 41Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza I1:59 2Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament I4:09 3Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza II1:31 4Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament II5:29 5Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza III1:21 6Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament III5:47 7Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza IV1:35 8Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament IV6:18 9Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza V1:35 10Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament V6:29 11Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza VI2:04 12Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament VI7:19 13Lament for Jerusalem: Stanza VII1:41 14Lament for Jerusalem: Cosmic Lament VII7:15 Disc 51God Is With Us: Christmas Proclamation5:28 2Song for Athene5:42 3The Lamb3:51 4The Tiger5:22 5Magnificat7:35 6Nunc Dimittis2:58 7Funeral Ikos7:15 8Two Hymns To The Mother Of God: I. Hymn to the Mother of God2:36 9Two Hymns To The Mother Of God: II. Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God3:50 10Love Bade Me Welcome4:56 11As One Who Has Slept4:20 12The Lord's Prayer3:34 13Svyati "O Holy One"13:18 | Compilation | March 2014 | |
| — | ByzantiaSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracks · 59:471The Protecting Veil -1st Movement8:47 2God Is With Us5:53 3The Lamb3:18 4The Hidden Treasure - Excerpt8:54 5Funeral Ikos7:42 6Annunciation5:25 7The Last Sleep of the Virgin - Excerpt6:07 8Angels7:28 9Song for Athene6:13 | Compilation | — |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put John Tavener head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 33 | 91.9th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 66 | 96th |
| Studio albums | 52 | 99.3th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 53 | 99th |
| Recording span (years) | 43 | 83.8th |
| Genres | 11 | 97.2th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Ivor Novello Awards | won | |
| — | Knight Bachelor | won |
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7b0a18b7-2b32-4b26-8db3-3ea39a59e1e6discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7b0a18b7-2b32-4b26-8db3-3ea39a59e1e6core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317350genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q317350seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tavenerbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tavener
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: historic figure (33 language versions, career ended)
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q317350 · MusicBrainz: 7b0a18b7-2b32-4b26-8db3-3ea39a59e1e6
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