John Tavener: Flood of Beauty, Barbican

Sir John Tavener’s death last year robbed British music of one of its most distinct voices. As fellow composer John Rutter said, he had the rare gift of bringing ‘an audience to deep silence.’ To open their season at the Barbican, the Britten Sinfonia – one of the country’s most versatile ensembles – will premiere his final piece, the large-scale orchestral and choral work Flood of Beauty (Saundarya Lahari) .

Tavener first came to prominence at the age of 24 with The Whale, a cantata based on the story of Jonah. While his early music was indebted to the sonic landscapes of Stravinsky and the rapturous trills of Messiaen, he soon found his own distinct voice. Often compared to the Estonian ‘holy minimalist’ Arvo Pärt, Tavener’s work is sparse, spacious and deeply spiritual. The majority of his compositions – with exceptions like the bestselling The Protecting Veil – are choral. Although a practising Orthodox Christian, Tavener’s late pieces engaged with Judaism and Islam in an attempt to approach a universal Divine Being. 

Flood of Beauty extends this project to Hinduism. A setting of a 9th century Sanskrit poem by the philosopher Sankara, it focuses on the feminine aspects of God. In addition to choir and the conventional instruments of a symphony orchestra, Tavener’s score calls for traditional Indian instruments. The musicians will be spaced around the venue, immersing the audience in beauty and bliss. It promises to be rapturous, otherworldly experience. 

Conductor Martyn Brabbins is known for his Romantic sensibility and fondness for British music. The dazzling soprano Allison Bell and the award-winning young baritone Marcus Farnsworth will join the Sinfonietta, while incendiary virtuoso cellist Natalie Clein will play her 1777 Guadagnini. Sheema Mukherjee and Kuljit Bharma join accompany on sitar and tabla.