John Tavener: The Eternal Sun (Unaccompanied Choir SSAATTBB/Semi-Chorus SATB)

This work was commissioned by Riga Youth Choir, who gavethe first performance in Riga on 3rd July 2008. Based on a poem by Frithjof Schuon.    The composer writes Frithjof Schuon's poem The Eternal Sun speaks of our earthly sun as a reflection of the Divine Sun which no earthly eye can see, and the music reflects this in its mirror images. The opening music for the main choir should glow with magnificence and splendour, representing the unattainability of the Heavenly Sun, but the later passages, especially the music for the distant semi-chorus, should be more nostalgic and haunting.