About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Released in celebration of Arvo Pärt's 70th birthday, this survey of his popular choral works is as much a retrospective tribute as it is a sampler of his CDs on Harmonia Mundi. Under the direction of Paul Hillier, a leading authority on Pärt's music and career, the performances by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the Theatre of Voices, and the Pro Arte Singers are beautifully blended, well-balanced, and richly resonant; and the pieces themselves are fine examples of Pärt's celebrated tintinnabular style. Few pieces illustrate this simple, triad-based method more transparently than "Dopo la vittoria" (1996-1998), newly recorded here, or "The woman with the alabaster box" (1997); the held triads in these pieces can be heard quite clearly; and even the serialized "Solfeggio" (1964) can be regarded as an early specimen of tintinnabuli in its sustained diatonic clusters. But harmonic experiments are not everything in Pärt's music, and listeners seeking music of spiritual depth and beauty may turn to the "Berliner Messe" (1990, revised 1997) or the "Magnificat" (1989), two of Pärt's most acclaimed works. Though this album is narrowly focused on choral works and is less comprehensive than the Naxos double-disc of Pärt's music, also released in 2005, it will nonetheless satisfy those who need only an introduction to this composer's work. Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

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