Scottish Ensemble - Tavener: Tears of the Angels - Inverness Courier

Tavener's music was played at the end of the Princess of Wales' funeral service and this is more in the same intensely spiritual mood.

..."Depart in Peace" is a setting of the Nunc Dimittis (a version of which was used to introduce TV's "Tinker Tailor, Soldier, Spy") with a Hallelujah chorus that becomes increasingly animated and eastern in style, contrasting with the haunting "Song of Simeon", radiantly sung by the Indian-born soprano Patricia Rozario. The accompanying strings play a repeated descending string figure that recalls Vaughn Williams' "Tallis Fantasia".

"My Gaze Is Ever Upon You" is a series of meditations for Clio Gould's double-tracked violin linked by bass drone and the concluding title track- inspired by events in Bosnia - sets the upper register of Gould's solo violin against soft slow harmonies on the strings in the manner of Vaughn Williams' "The Lark Ascending", creating a similar sense of stillness but overlaid with tragedy.