John Taverner was the most significant English composer of the early 16th century, his reputation resting principally on his sacred works. Few details are known of his life, though he is thought to have been born near Boston, Lincolnshire. The first unequivocal references to him appear in 1524 as a lay clerk of the choir of the collegiate church of Tattershall, where there was a lively and enterprising musical tradition.
Like his 16th century ancestor and near namesake, John Tavener’s reputation rests largely on an output of religious vocal works. A friend of John Lennon and Ringo Starr during their mid-1960s Beatles peak, Tavener introduced a contemplative stillness and artful simplicity into the contemporary choral repertoire. His conversion to the Russian Orthodox faith in 1977 resulted in a steady flow of hauntingly beautiful vocal scores without precedent in modern times.
Collegium Musicum of London’s tribute to these two remarkable composers includes some of their most celebrated works, Taverner’s Dum transisset, Audivi vocem and Quemadmodum, and Tavener’s Magnificat, The Lamb and Song for Athene – made famous after it was performed at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997.
Rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the capital’s most accomplished chamber ensembles, Collegium Musicum of London Chamber Choir will be conducted, with his usual poise and panache, by Greg Morris.