The Protecting Veil

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The Protecting Veil is a musical composition for cello and strings by British composer John Tavener. Completed in 1988, the work was at first a suggestion from cellist Steven Isserlis and subsequently commissioned by the BBC for the 1989 Proms season. The inspiration of the piece comes from the Orthodox feast of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, which commemorates the the apparition of Mary the Theotokos in the early 10th century at the Blachernae Palace church at Vlacherni, Constantinople.

The work, which has a performance time of about 43 minutes, includes eight sections:

  1. The Protecting Veil
  2. The Nativity of the Mother of God
  3. The Annunciation
  4. The Incarnation
  5. The Lament of the Mother of God at the Cross
  6. The Resurrection
  7. The Dormition
  8. The Protecting Veil

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