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Programme Note

'Trisagion' for Brass Quintet was written in 1981 and was finished between Easter and the Feast of the Ascension.

The word 'trisagion' is Greek for 'thrice-holy' and it is an important hymn in the Byzantine Church. My short piece bearing this title falls into three main sections, the style of which is both solemn and festive. There are two brass groups which answer each other antiphonally. The material is rooted in Znamenny chant and Byzantine palindromes, both essential ingredients for any kind of radical rediscovery of the sacred or theophanic tradition in music.

This piece received its first performance at the 1985 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

John Tavener