Arvo Pärt, born in Estonia in 1935, initially composed modernist instrumental works but later withdrew to study plainsong and early music, developing his 'tintinnabuli' style in 1976.
Recording & Production
This album features both newer and earlier compositions by Arvo Pärt, offering a comprehensive survey of his choral music with and without organ accompaniment.
Compositional Technique
A constant presence in Arvo Pärt's style is the influence of early music, which returns with renewed strength in his recent works.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Arvo Pärt's music rarely illustrates the surface meanings of words, instead reflecting the overall character and function of a text by articulating its form in the music's structure.
Compositional Technique
Arvo Pärt's compositional style often incorporates musical gestures deeply redolent of 14th-century English music, such as parallel 6/3 chords and the Landini cadence.
Composer Biography
Arvo Pärt and his wife emigrated from Soviet Estonia in 1980 due to restrictions on his freedom of movement and the religious content of his music, eventually settling in Berlin.
Performer Biography
Paul Hillier, the conductor of this album, is the author of a monograph on Arvo Pärt and was named Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir in 2001.
