'Canticum Sacrum' is wonderfully archaic. What Stravinsky does is extraordinary. It takes you on a journey from Gregorian chant right through to the modernism of Webern - and all in 17 minutes. John Tavener archaiccanticumchant Change image and share on social
I've got great joy from rediscovering Western music. I love Schumann and Chopin, and those amazing symphonies of Bruckner. John Tavener amazebrucknerchopin Change image and share on social
The path I follow is still an Orthodox path. You have to follow a path; otherwise, it becomes a little bit new-age, a bit of this, a bit of that. John Tavener agebitefollow Change image and share on social
Hildegard von Bingen conveys spiritual ecstasy, if we're talking of Western music. What bothers me about Western music is that it doesn't have an esoteric dimension in the way the music of the East has, whether it be Byzantine chant, the music of the Sufis, or Hindu music. John Tavener bingenbotherbyzantine share on social
My way towards God has been to write music. John Tavener godmusicwrite Change image and share on social
I think I've been very lucky all my life because the writing and the faith seem to go together. John Tavener faithhavelife Change image and share on social
I was having these terrible back pains, and then one day in Switzerland, things got very bad. My wife Maryanna called the hotel doctor, but I don't remember any of this, I was out of it. I had an operation, and I was nearly lost. John Tavener backbadcall share on social
In his late quartets, Beethoven introduces an element that shouldn't be there, that should be left for meditation, though I love them. I can see that through them came Wagner and Mahler and Schoenberg and Berg. And then came Tracey Emin. And I can see it all as one downward path. John Tavener beethovenbergdownward share on social
We seem to have lost our contact with the primordial: the idea of - call it divine revelation as opposed to something that's learned by the human intellect - something that, if you lay yourself completely open, and you just open your heart completely, something will actually come into it. John Tavener callcompletelycontact share on social
My consultant keeps telling me sudden death could come at any moment. John Tavener consultantdeathmoment Change image and share on social