The John Tavener Collection is a compilation of short, individual pieces combined with "bleeding chunks" drawn from larger works such as The Protecting Veil. It is not a greatest-hits collection so much as an attempt to represent various aspects of
John Tavener's "high holy minimalist" style. The Decca producers have done a good job of putting together a program of pieces that flow into one another, even though they are drawn from diverse sources. The John Tavener Collection is a very pleasant and listenable disc, and even those who are generally not crazy about the music of
Tavener may well draw some enjoyment from it.