JOHN TAVENER

Richard Hickox conducts Fall and Resurrection – Tavener’s celebration of the passing of the millennium.

Fall and Resurrection was commissioned by St Paul’s Cathedral and was dedicated by Tavener to HRH The Prince of Wales.

This ‘live’ recording was made at the world premiere performance in St Paul’s Cathedral; on 4 January 2000, broadcast live on Radio 3 and subsequently televised on BBC2.

A DVD and video to accompany this release will be available later in the year.

Richard Hickox’s previous two Tavener discs on Chandos have been extremely well received.

Fall and Resurrection is a deeply religious work. It tries to encompass, in brief glimpses, the events which have taken place since the beginning of time, but with reference to Christian doctrine. The work begins in total silence, in the Paradise of God. Building from this silence, deep hushed notes develop into a colossal storm, the pre-creation chaos. Out of this chaos God’s world is created, in which Adam and Eve sing to each other and to God. A rams-horn sounds The Fall, and the first section of the work closes with ‘Paradise lost’.

In the second section of the work, verses or hints from the prophets and the psalms are sung by the countertenor, interspersed with dance-like music for the kaval (a form of the nay flute). The third and final section, introduced by the organ represents an eternal act. At the moment of crucifixion, an apparent return to the thunderous cacophony of the uncreated chaos occurs.

Tavener says the work should be performed in a building with a large acoustic. The resonance of ancient instruments – the kaval, the rams-horn trumpet and the Tibetan temple bowls – brings to mind and soul something primordial, something lost, something innocent, something wild and untamed.

Richard Hickox conducts Fall and Resurrection – Tavener’s celebration of the passing of the millennium.

Fall and Resurrection was commissioned by St Paul’s Cathedral and was dedicated by Tavener to HRH The Prince of Wales.

This ‘live’ recording was made at the world premiere performance in St Paul’s Cathedral; on 4 January 2000, broadcast live on Radio 3 and subsequently televised on BBC2.

A DVD and video to accompany this release will be available later in the year.

Richard Hickox’s previous two Tavener discs on Chandos have been extremely well received.

Fall and Resurrection is a deeply religious work. It tries to encompass, in brief glimpses, the events which have taken place since the beginning of time, but with reference to Christian doctrine. The work begins in total silence, in the Paradise of God. Building from this silence, deep hushed notes develop into a colossal storm, the pre-creation chaos. Out of this chaos God’s world is created, in which Adam and Eve sing to each other and to God. A rams-horn sounds The Fall, and the first section of the work closes with ‘Paradise lost’.

In the second section of the work, verses or hints from the prophets and the psalms are sung by the countertenor, interspersed with dance-like music for the kaval (a form of the nay flute). The third and final section, introduced by the organ represents an eternal act. At the moment of crucifixion, an apparent return to the thunderous cacophony of the uncreated chaos occurs.

Tavener says the work should be performed in a building with a large acoustic. The resonance of ancient instruments – the kaval, the rams-horn trumpet and the Tibetan temple bowls – brings to mind and soul something primordial, something lost, something innocent, something wild and untamed.



Richard Hickox conducts Fall and Resurrection – Tavener’s celebration of the passing of the millennium.

Fall and Resurrection was commissioned by St Paul’s Cathedral and was dedicated by Tavener to HRH The Prince of Wales.

This ‘live’ recording was made at the world premiere performance in St Paul’s Cathedral; on 4 January 2000, broadcast live on Radio 3 and subsequently televised on BBC2.

A DVD and video to accompany this release will be available later in the year.

Richard Hickox’s previous two Tavener discs on Chandos have been extremely well received.



Fall and Resurrection is a deeply religious work. It tries to encompass, in brief glimpses, the events which have taken place since the beginning of time, but with reference to Christian doctrine. The work begins in total silence, in the Paradise of God. Building from this silence, deep hushed notes develop into a colossal storm, the pre-creation chaos. Out of this chaos God’s world is created, in which Adam and Eve sing to each other and to God. A rams-horn sounds The Fall, and the first section of the work closes with ‘Paradise lost’.

In the second section of the work, verses or hints from the prophets and the psalms are sung by the countertenor, interspersed with dance-like music for the kaval (a form of the nay flute). The third and final section, introduced by the organ represents an eternal act. At the moment of crucifixion, an apparent return to the thunderous cacophony of the uncreated chaos occurs.

Tavener says the work should be performed in a building with a large acoustic. The resonance of ancient instruments – the kaval, the rams-horn trumpet and the Tibetan temple bowls – brings to mind and soul something primordial, something lost, something innocent, something wild and untamed.

Richard Hickox conducts Fall and Resurrection – Tavener’s celebration of the passing of the millennium.

Fall and Resurrection was commissioned by St Paul’s Cathedral and was dedicated by Tavener to HRH The Prince of Wales.

This ‘live’ recording was made at the world premiere performance in St Paul’s Cathedral; on 4 January 2000, broadcast live on Radio 3 and subsequently televised on BBC2.

A DVD and video to accompany this release will be available later in the year.

Richard Hickox’s previous two Tavener discs on Chandos have been extremely well received.



Fall and Resurrection is a deeply religious work. It tries to encompass, in brief glimpses, the events which have taken place since the beginning of time, but with reference to Christian doctrine. The work begins in total silence, in the Paradise of God. Building from this silence, deep hushed notes develop into a colossal storm, the pre-creation chaos. Out of this chaos God’s world is created, in which Adam and Eve sing to each other and to God. A rams-horn sounds The Fall, and the first section of the work closes with ‘Paradise lost’.

In the second section of the work, verses or hints from the prophets and the psalms are sung by the countertenor, interspersed with dance-like music for the kaval (a form of the nay flute). The third and final section, introduced by the organ represents an eternal act. At the moment of crucifixion, an apparent return to the thunderous cacophony of the uncreated chaos occurs.

Tavener says the work should be performed in a building with a large acoustic. The resonance of ancient instruments – the kaval, the rams-horn trumpet and the Tibetan temple bowls – brings to mind and soul something primordial, something lost, something innocent, something wild and untamed.

Nowhere will this music sound better than in St Paul’s Cathedral. Rozario, Chance, Martyn Hill and Stephen Richardson were adept soloists and the combination of the BBC Singers and St Paul’s Cathedral Choir could hardly be bettered.
The performers excelled.’
‘The performers excelled.’
‘Patricia Rozario sang the fiendishly difficult soprano part marvellously.’
Patricia Rozario sang the fiendishly difficult soprano part marvellously.
‘Nowhere will this music sound better than in St Paul’s Cathedral. Rozario, Chance, Martyn Hill and Stephen Richardson were adept soloists and the combination of the BBC Singers and St Paul’s Cathedral Choir could hardly be bettered.’

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