Gavin Bryars

• DIGIPACK CD

The Sinking of the Titanic, Bryars' first major composition, was inspired by the tragic event of the British passenger liner's cross-Atlantic maiden voyage. Bryars eloquently reconstructs the passengers' experience – at once forlorn and eerily calming – through assemblages of understated strings and indeterminate elements. A core principle of the piece is that the ship's band continued to play as the vessel went down. One of the most sublime works in the modern classical canon, Titanic remains Bryars' magnum opus.

PERSONNEL:

• The Cockpit Esemble
• Gavin Bryars - (conductor)
• Derek Bailey - (guitar)
• Michael Nyman - (organ)
• John Nash - (violin)
• John White - (tuba)
• Sandra Hill - (bass)

Recorded at Basing Street Studios in 1975

TRACKS:

• 1. The Sinking of the Titanic
• 2. Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet