10050 – Trisagion

John Tavener (b1944)

Adapted for tentet by Roger Harvey

Difficulty: Hard

Price: £25

Programme notes:

Trisagion is an important Byzantine hymn. It means thrice holy. The music is clearly defined into sections of distinct characters. One element, heard initially at the beginning of the piece, is festive, with flourishing scales and angular arpeggios in a contrapuntal style. This alternates with a homophonic and simply harmonised plainchant of a ore solemn nature. After a number of exchanges of these elements the plainchant, now played in unison, alternates with block chords, at first in a bell-like manner and then in a reiterated rhythm. Then comes a series of 12 ‘Grand and massive’ chords which are immediately repeated in reverse. A joyful coda then follows, consisting of the plainchant melody with a chiming decoration elaborating it in upper instruments. Finally the last phrase of the chant is grandly stated.

Trisagion was written as a brass quintet for the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble but never found a regular place in the repertoire in this form. Although it has been recently recorded as a 5tet it remains difficult to programme as a concert item due to the physically demanding nature of the writing. In 1987 John Tavener gave permission to Roger Harvey to adapt the work for London Brass to play as a tentet. Not only does this make performance more practical but it also gives the piece a greater range of colour in keeping with its contrasting music, a bright toned group of trumpets, horn and trombones alternating with the softer colours of flugel horns, trombones and tuba, and also gives the opportunity to separate the elements spatially on the platform and thereby strengthening the dramatic nature of the exchanges of material.

Performance notes:

The two groups should be separated on the stage with group 1 being placed in a line at he back in the order (left to right from the audience view): trumpet 1, trombone 1, horn, bass trombone, trumpet 2, group 2 should fit in a semi-circle at the front: flugel 1, trombone 2, tuba, trombone 3, flugel 2. The trumpet players may find the use of E flat trumpets of some benefit.