The Protecting Veil.

It is Tuesday morning, and the sun is shining. It was nice yesterday as well. I went up town and outside Morrison’s they had plants for sale, so I bought two trays of assorted plants suitable for hanging baskets. When I got home, I made up four hanging baskets which I’ll show you when they grow a bit. I noticed that my white camellia is in bloom now as well. After that I sat outside the back door and soaked up the sun. My tiny yard is a little heat trap, even more so now that I have painted the wall white. I was listening to a CD of The Protecting Veil by the composer John Taverner which arrived recently. A couple of weeks ago when I wrote my piece about Arvo Part, a friend read it and suggested I might also enjoy this music. I do like it, very much indeed.

John Taverner

There is a connection between the two composers in that they were both members of the Russian Orthodox Church. The title of the music comes from an appearance of the Virgin Mary at a church in Constantinople in the 10^th century. At the time it occurred there was an invasion by the Saracens and Mary threw her protecting veil over the Christians which gave them the courage to repel the invaders. The Feast Of The Protecting Veil has been held ever since. The music is a composition for cello and strings and was commissioned by the BBC for the annual promenade concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. This recording was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 1992. 

Steven Isserlis.

It features the cellist Steven Isserlis. I love the sound of the cello which is played constantly throughout the 45 minutes of The Protecting Veil. The word serenity comes to mind when I try and think of words to describe this music. There is also a shorter piece called Thrinos (Lament) for solo cello. The recording is completed by a work by Benjamin Britten called Third Suite For Cello op 87 which I also enjoyed. In total there is 75 minutes of wonderful music which helped to make Monday afternoon a most enjoyable experience. John Taverner was knighted in 2000, two years after his work was performed at Princess Diana’s funeral. He sadly died aged 69 after years of ill health. His funeral was held at Winchester cathedral on 28 November 2013. The service was conducted in the Orthodox rite and 700 people attended. His legacy is the wonderful music, and I am grateful to my friend for recommending the work of John Taverner.