Akhmatova Songs, for soprano & cello (or string quartet)

• Date: 1993
• Composer: John Tavener
• Period: Modern (1910-1949)

Review

Anna Akhmatova is recognized as one of the greatest Russian poets. She endured periods of harsh criticism and censorship from the government (on one occasion denounced as "half harlot, half nun"), and bore witness to the execution of her ex-husband and the imprisonment of her son. Her poetic cycle Requiem, inspired by the suffering of Soviet people under Stalin, was first published in its entirety in 1987, in Moscow, and is considered one of her finest and most moving works.

Evere since joining the Russian Orthodox Church, in 1977, Tavener has cultivated an interest in Russian history, also developing an affinity for the unique cadences of the Russian language. He first became acquainted with Akhmatova's writings in English translation, but decided to set them in their native Russian with the help of Father Sergei Hackel, himself a native speaker. Requiem is a cycle of fourteen separate poems, each a meditation on suffering and death, but Tavener's music joins them into one continuous block, lasting approximately an hour. It is scored for strings, brass, percussion, hand bells, and soprano and bass soloists. Parts of the score are based on the Russian Orthodox funeral service, and fragments of melodies from that liturgy appear sporadically. The tone of the piece is mystical and bleak.

This composition (written in 1980) was the first of Tavener's to use musical elements from the Russian church, and Tavener has stated that it was a key work in his musical evolution. It was premiered under the baton of Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky. ~ All Music Guide, Rovi

Albums with Complete Performances of the Work

Title	Date
John Taverner: Dióda; The World; Akhmatova Songs; Many Years	2001
Lemons Descending	2001
Lemons Descending	2004
Magic in the Air [DVD Video]	2008
Shelter: Songs for Soprano and Cello with Piano Accompaniment	2012
Svyati	1997
Tavener: Svyati

Albums with Excerpt Performances of the Work

Title	Date
John Tavener: A Portrait	2004

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