Mäntyjärvi describes his harmonic language as "very sonorous, not tonal but largely consonance-driven," and notes that a musical idea doesn't need to be complex to be effective.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge, across three sessions in January 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Performer Biography
The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, featured on this album, was voted the fifth-best choir in the world by Gramophone magazine.
Performer Biography
Stephen Layton, the conductor on this album, is recognized as a leading figure in choral music, with numerous international recording awards and nominations.
Historical Context
The booklet notes a shift in sacred choral composition from doctrinaire modernism to a postmodern acceptance of tonal, consonant simplicity, influenced by composers like Arvo Pärt, John Tavener, and Eric Whitacre.
Composer Biography
Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, the composer on this album, studied musicology, English philology, and linguistics at Helsinki University and is also an Authorized Translator.
Compositional Technique
Mäntyjärvi's music often employs techniques of an orchestrator, creating diverse colors through octave doublings and subtle vertical spacings within chords.
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