scottish Ensemble - Tavener: Tears of the Angels - Epulse Magazine

Classical Album of the Week

Even by his own prolific standards, composer JOHN TAVENER appears to have been on a creative roll of late, and the three works contained on a new disc featuring the Scottish Ensemble add up to an absorbing listening experience. "Depart in Peace", pits the multi-faceted soprano soloist Patricia Rozario (a long time Tavener associate) against a long-limbed string ensemble gently supported by a tampura. The ensembles director, Clio Gould, is doubletracked in the expansive, improvisatory "My Gaze Is Ever Upon You", in which the live and taped violins weave an epic fabric over a subtly pulsating drone. Lastly, the contemplative "Tears of the Angels" for solo violin and string ensemble features exquisitely voiced harmonies that create an eerie, yet oddly comforting backdrop for the rhapsodic yet tellingly proportioned solo part, rendered by Gould with soulful expertise. Linn's warm, lustrous sonics further auger for my unhesitating recommendation of these beautiful, composer-supervised performances.