On the occasion of the 85th birthday of Arvo Pärt (September 2020) and the 75th anniversary of the Bavarian Radio Chorus (May 2021).

The Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, born in 1935, has succeeded in bringing sacred music back to a broader audience, and away from the confines of the church service, more than almost any other contemporary composer. The meditative character of his works, and his return to the simplest and most basic musical forms, convey moments of intense spirituality. Before his emigration from the Soviet Union, Pärt had already invented what he termed the tintinnabuli style of composition (from the Latin word for a bell).

He produced an early and important example of this expressive style in 1977 with his Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, scored for string orchestra and bell. It is also a key feature of the choral and instrumental works presented by BR-KLASSIK on this new CD: five works for choir as well as two for instrumental ensemble, covering all of the composer’s creative epochs between 1986 and 2019. Alongside shorter a cappella choral works such as Tribute to Caesar (1997), Which Was the Son of... (2000), The Deer's Cry (2007) and Ja ma kuulsin hääle... (And I heard a voice) (2017), the highlight of this album – almost 30 minutes in length and with its absolutely spectacular sound effects – is the Miserere for soli, mixed voices, ensemble and organ (1989/1992).

Despite, or precisely because of, its radical reduction of means of expression, Pärt's music demands the greatest care in execution from those performing it – and this has been masterfully realized in the present recording by the Bavarian Radio Chorus under its director Howard Arman.