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Tavener and Literature

Poet and librettist Michael Symmons Roberts and broadcaster Reverend Richard Coles look at the literature that inspired John Tavener - from George Herbert and John Donne to Blake.

Matthew Sweet and his guests, the award-winning poet and librettist Michael Symmons Roberts and musician, priest and broadcaster Richard Coles, explore the inspiration John Tavener took from poems written by George Herbert, John Donne and William Blake. Tonight's Proms broadcast includes The Protecting Veil, which earnt Tavener a nomination for the Mercury Prize and whilst this work takes its cue from an icon and the Orthodox feast of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, other pieces by Tavener draw on literary sources.

Originally recorded before an audience at the Royal College of Music at the BBC Proms on 23 July 2014.

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20 minutes