The Veil of the Temple is a piece of choral music by British composer Sir John Tavener. Identified by Tavener as "the supreme achievement of my life",[1] [2] it is set for four choirs, several orchestras and soloists and lasts at least seven hours.[3] It is based on text from a number of religions, and received its world premiere performance at the Temple Church, London in June 2003.[4]
The piece is split into eight cycles. The first seven follow the same structure, with each cycle being a higher key than the previous.[4] For example, Cycles I to VII open with a soprano solo.[5] This is then followed by a setting of the kyrie in either English or the original Greek. Successive cycles add additional musical complexity and words to each movement, with the result that cycle I takes about 20 minutes to perform, but cycle VII takes 1.5 hours.[6]
Cycles I to VII use the following structure:[5]
| Title | Section | Sung by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystical Love Song of the Sufis | Solo soprano | |||
| Primordial Call | Orchestra | |||
| God's Creation | Kyrie 1 | Choir | ||
| Tohu, Vohu, Tahem. Logos | Choir, with soloists | |||
| In the beginning | Solo bass | |||
| Kyrie 2 | Choir | |||
| You mantle yourself in light. | Choir | |||
| Kyrie 3 | Choir | |||
| Outside the Gates of Paradise | O Blessed Paradise | Choir, with soloists | ||
| Kyrie 4 | Choir | |||
| What God is. | Choir | |||
| Kyrie 5 | Choir | |||
| Our Father | Lords Prayer | Choir | ||
| Kyrie 6 | Choir | |||
| Holy Mary | O Mary Theotokos. | Choir | ||
| Hail, O Mother of God! | Choir | |||
| Here I stand now praying. | Choir | |||
| In thee rejoiceth. | Choir | Cycles V to VII only | ||
| Awed by the beauty | Choir | Cycles V to VII only | ||
| Alleelouia 1 | Choir | Cycles V to VII only | ||
| Kyrie 7 | Choir | |||
| Alleluia. Theos Erastos | Alleelouia 2 | Choir | ||
| Kyrie 8 | Basses | |||
| Kyrie 9 | Choir | |||
| Gospel of St John | Gospel of John | Solo Bass | ||
| Alleelouia 3 | Choir | |||
| Thrice-Holy Hymn - Resurrection | Te re rem. | Choir | Not cycle VII | |
| Agios ischyros. | Choir | Not cycle VII | ||
| Have mercy on me, O God. | Choir | Not cycle VII | ||
| Agios Athanatos 1 | Choir | Not cycle VII | ||
| In Thy kingdom remember us, O Lord. | Choir | Not cycle VII | ||
| Beatitudes of St. Isaac the Syrian | The Beatitudes | single voice part | Not cycle VII | |
| Ágiós Athánatos 2 | Choir | Not cycle VII | ||
| Christos anestee | Choir | Not cycle VII | ||
| Psalm | Solo Bass | Not cycle VII |