Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Confession time: my understanding of the Christian faith does not lead me to celebrate the Mass in the way that some do and yet I prefer not to listen to performances of the Mass as mere entertainment. Having said this I do not think John Tavener's setting of the Mass ranks with his best work but I still found much to appreciate on this disc. The "Missa Wellensis" was written after the composer's near fatal heart attack in 2007. For the following six years before his death in 2013 Tavener, now Sir John, was an invalid but one who was still seeking Sophia perennis, the perennial wisdom that he believed is contained within all religions. When Matthew Owens, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Wells Cathedral, proposed that Tavener might consider setting the Latin Mass for Wells Cathedral Choir, the composer was so inspired that he almost completed the work before the ink was dry on the contract. The finished piece is one of the longest of the composer's final works and was created in part as a tribute to the Spanish Renaissance composer Tomas Luis de Victoria. As well as the Mass itself, here given its debut recording, Tavener wrote three sets of "Pieces And Responses" led here by the accomplished Cantor Iain MacLeod-Jones and, like the Mass, debut recordings. While the Wells' Mass is neither my favourite setting nor what I would consider Tavener's finest work it is still well worth hearing and the choir, singing a cappella throughout, is in excellent voice. The rest of the 73 minutes of music on the disc have been recorded elsewhere, although the standard of performance does not drop, so even if you have some of the material these new versions are worth adding to your collection. Some are well known, such as Tavener's acclaimed "Song For Athene" that was sung so movingly at the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997. For this recording, dedicated to the composer's memory, the choir follows Tavener's authorized change of text, intended to fit the piece for use at the funeral of a male, with "servant" substituted for the original's "handmaid". We also get an enjoyable "Magnificat" and "Nunc dimittis" and a more Orthodox-sounding "Prayer For The Healing Of The Sick" featuring bass soloist Christopher Sheldrake. There is some excellent choral singing on this disc and even those who are less enthused by the work of Sir John Tavener will find much to appreciate. Those who admire the composer will welcome the debut recordings and be more than happy to hear the new versions of some old favourites.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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