John Tavener’s eight-hour marathon choral work received its second-ever performance in Edinburgh last week – a liturgical vigil, by a mystic who liked driving fast sports cars.

“I’m going to nip out two-thirds through to walk the dogs – and then I’ll come back for the end,” someone confessed.

“We’ve booked dinner during the sixth section,” confided another. A third wondered: “Do you think people will go to sleep on the beanbags?”

This was the pre-concert chat in the auditorium at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall as 2.30 p.m. approached last Saturday. It was unusual – but so too was the piece. The Veil of the Temple, a 2002 choral work by Sir John Tavener (1944-2013), is written for performance by multiple choirs and orchestras across eight “cycles” averaging an hour each – which explains the above conversations.

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