Britten Sinfonia

The world premiere of the late Sir John Tavener’s last major concert work Flood of Beauty in the Barbican Hall. Written largely in Sanskrit, the poetry of this work suggests the extent to which Tavener became influenced by South Asian musical traditions.

Known for the spiritual elements of his compositions, Tavener noted that, ‘In almost every work that I have written I have tried to represent The Divine Being; through Christianity, through Islam, through Judaism, and now through Hinduism. I have discovered the most wonderful poem by the 9th-century philosopher and poet Sankara. He shows God in the feminine aspect, as beauty. The poem celebrates this beauty in waves and waves of 100 verses. It will be an attempt by me to show the rapture and bliss of the Divine Being. Small choirs and instrumentalists will be placed around the Hall so that the audience will be surrounded by bliss and beauty.'