Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

By the end of the 1980s John Tavener was recognised as a significant voice in contemporary British classical music. His large-scale oratorio 'Resurrection' and opera 'Mary Of Egypt' had left him drained so he turned to a smaller instrumental piece which used the clarinet in much the same way as the cello had featured in 'The Protecting Veil'. The story comes from Luke's Gospel where the different responses to Jesus from the two brigands crucified either side of him are recorded. One cursed Jesus but the other saw him for who - and what - he truly is and was promised a place in Paradise. 'The Repentant Thief' is a response to the idea that progress to paradise is a dance. The orchestration is for a small group of strings, divided into up to 14 parts, with percussion (featuring Neil Percy on Handbells) and a solo clarinet expertly played by Andrew Marriner which, as Tavener says, "Leads the Dance and the Lament, apparently going nowhere; the human paradox as a perceive it musically, leading to the end point." The dance sections are genuinely foot-tapping and the quieter meditations are played exquisitely by the LSO under Michael Tilson Thomas. The work lasts just 20 minutes which was reflected in the original issue price on the now sadly missed Collins Twentieth Century label. However this excellent recording of 'The Repentant Thief' was later collected with other works by John Tavener (now, of course, Sir John) and at the time of writing is still available.

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