By Jerome Taylor
Published: The Independent, 16 June 2007
The eclectic religiosity of John Tavener and the beautiful sacred music it has inspired have made him one of Britain's foremost and best-loved composers. But for some of the country's more vocal Roman Catholics, his latest work appears to constitute an ecumenical step too far.
"The Beautiful Names", which sets the 99 sacred names Muslims give to Allah, was commissioned by Prince Charles and has been well-received throughout the Islamic world. Next week Tavener flies off to Istanbul to become only the second non-Turk to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Istanbul International Music Festival.
But the decision to premiere the piece inside Westminster Cathedral has incurred the wrath of some Roman Catholics who are outraged that a Christian place of worship could be used to glorify Islam. Having failed in their bid to have the concert cancelled, some have threatened to protest outside the cathedral on the night of the performance.
The idea behind the piece, which the BBC Symphony Orchestra will play in public for the first time on Tuesday evening, is to bring the names of Allah to a wider audience and help increase inter-faith dialogue and understanding. The one-and- a-half hour piece will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and will feature a horn section, a double choir and a host of somewhat less common symphony instruments (a Tibetan temple bells, a powwow drum).
In the introduction to his score, the 63 year-old Tavener writes, "Perhaps, by doing this in the language of music, one may contribute to an inward healing of the strife that permeates the modern world."
The anger of his fellow Christians appears to have upset Tavener, who has been composing pieces for decades and gained prominence after one of his pieces was played at the close of Princess Diana's funeral.
"This is the most important work that I have ever written," he said. "It is a kind of 'summation' of all that I have tried to do over the past 60 years. If the work contributes towards healing a shattered world, then this is of great importance."
A deeply devout Christian, John Tavener has never shied away from using the world's religions both for personal and musical inspiration. Born a Presbyterian, he converted to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1977: he felt eastern Christian faiths were closer to their original roots. Since then he has openly expressed interest in Islam, Sufism and Hinduism and regards himself a follower of the mystic philosopher Frithjof Schuon who preached the unity of all religions. A new piece he is writing, "The Flood of Beauty", draws inspiration from a 9th century Sanskrit text and "shows God in the feminine aspect, as beauty".
Such interests in the world's non-Christian religions have made the composer firm friends with Prince Charles, who has also stated he would like to improve inter-faith dialogue.
To Muslims, the 99 names of Allah are some of the most important and sacred words in existence, the very essence of everything that is perfect about their one true god, Allah.
So crucial are they to the faith that all except one of the chapters of the Quran begin with a phrase that incorporates two of the most well known, Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim, which means "in the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate". Muslims are encouraged to memorise as many as possible, as the attributes act as guidelines for living.
In the Muslim community itself, Sir John's new work was widely welcomed.
"I have yet to hear the piece but the Quran encourages all Muslims to remember these beautiful attributes," said Sheikh Imam Ibrahim Mogra, a Leicester-based Imam. "They are often put to music because they are so wonderfully emotive. When you hear the words sung it creates a sense of ecstasy, a buzz."
He was delighted that non-Muslims could draw inspiration from the various names of Allah. "Muslims don't have a monopoly on God's name," he said. "God is for everyone."
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