Marienhymne is a piece on a smaller scale than Tavener’s dramatic cantatas, and is written for unaccompanied choir and semiChorus. Tavener was drawn to writer and philosopher Frithjof Schuon’s vision of the Virgin Maryasuniversal and primordial Woman and has used an extract from his work Maria as the libretto, in German, for this piece. The composer calls for ‘radiance and ecstasy’ and also a ‘great distance’ between the main choir and theechochoir.John Tavener was that rare creature, a compos...