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Pärt: Passio / Schweckendiek, Helsinki Chamber Choir
BIS

Pärt: Passio / Schweckendiek, Helsinki Chamber Choir

$21.99

Details

Composer
PART, ARVO
Artist
Schweckendiek
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Sep 03, 2021
Catalog #
BIS-2612
UPC
7318599926124

About

Composed in 1982, Arvo Pärt’s Passio has retained its place as one of the foremost works of sacred music of the late 20th century. It has been called a minimalist masterpiece, and is a seminal work in the composer’s oeuvre – the culmination of his so-called tintinnabuli style, and the first in a line of large-scale choral works on religious themes. Passion settings have a long history, with polyphonic settings for choral performance beginning in the 15th century and continuing up until the high baroque and the monumental works by Johann Sebastian Bach. In his Passion, Pärt looks back to an older tradition, however – the medieval one of a single voice chanting the text. As a result, the narrative – chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel of St. John – becomes the basis for sustained spiritual contemplation rather than the drama of Bach’s Passions. Another important distinction from earlier Passion settings is Pärt’s treatment of the Evangelist, who narrates the story. Rather than a single voice, he employs a quartet: soprano, alto, tenor and bass, accompanied by an ensemble of four instruments. The only other instrument used in the work is the organ, again in contrast to the larger instrumental forces of the Bach Passions. This contemplative work is here performed by the Helsinki Chamber Choir under Nils Schweckendiek.

REVIEW:

Arvo Pärt's Passio (1982), also known as the St. John Passion, is sometimes grouped with the large pieces of the time in which Pärt developed his tintinnabuli technique. The technique is present in the work, but Passio is unlike anything else Pärt ever wrote. The Passio has rarely been recorded, and that's reason enough to welcome this reading by the Helsinki Chamber Choir. More reason is provided by the performers, who offer expressive interpretations with a fine sense of the functions of the many pauses in the music. This performance diverges somewhat from the stark version by Paul Hillier and the Hilliard Ensemble some years ago, and BIS' sound, from a Helsinki church, is warmer than that of ECM on the Hillier version, allowing in some ambient noise such as organ machinery. This is an extraordinary performance of an underrated work by one of the major composers of our time.

-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)

Tracklist 11 tracks

  1. 1 Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi (Chorus) [Fig. 1] 01:16
    Track
    1
    Title
    Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi (Chorus) [Fig. 1]
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  2. 2 Haec cum dixisset Jesus (Jesus, Evangelists) [Fig. 2] 05:29
    Track
    2
    Title
    Haec cum dixisset Jesus (Jesus, Evangelists) [Fig. 2]
    Duration
    05:29
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Sampo Haapaniemi, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  3. 3 Jesum Nazarenum (Jesus, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 23] 06:03
    Track
    3
    Title
    Jesum Nazarenum (Jesus, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 23]
    Duration
    06:03
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Sampo Haapaniemi, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  4. 4 Quia expedit, unum hominem mori (Jesus, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 37] 10:55
    Track
    4
    Title
    Quia expedit, unum hominem mori (Jesus, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 37]
    Duration
    10:55
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Sampo Haapaniemi, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  5. 5 Numquid et tu ex discipulis ejus es? (Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 57] 06:16
    Track
    5
    Title
    Numquid et tu ex discipulis ejus es? (Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 57]
    Duration
    06:16
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Martti Anttila, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  6. 6 …et vocavit Jesum, et dixit ei… (Jesus, Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 77] 14:13
    Track
    6
    Title
    …et vocavit Jesum, et dixit ei… (Jesus, Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 77]
    Duration
    14:13
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Sampo Haapaniemi, Martti Anttila, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  7. 7 Crucifige, crucifige eum (Jesus, Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 111] 08:46
    Track
    7
    Title
    Crucifige, crucifige eum (Jesus, Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 111]
    Duration
    08:46
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Sampo Haapaniemi, Martti Anttila, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  8. 8 Erat autem Parasceve Paschae (Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 130] 06:36
    Track
    8
    Title
    Erat autem Parasceve Paschae (Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 130]
    Duration
    06:36
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Martti Anttila, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  9. 9 Noli scribere, Rex Judaeorum (Jesus, Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 149] 07:05
    Track
    9
    Title
    Noli scribere, Rex Judaeorum (Jesus, Pilate, Evangelists, Chorus) [Fig. 149]
    Duration
    07:05
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Sampo Haapaniemi, Martti Anttila, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  10. 10 Postea sciens Jesus quia omnia consummata sunt (Jesus, Evangelists) [Fig. 168] 02:52
    Track
    10
    Title
    Postea sciens Jesus quia omnia consummata sunt (Jesus, Evangelists) [Fig. 168]
    Duration
    02:52
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Sampo Haapaniemi, Linnéa Sundfær Casserly, Sirkku Rintamäki, Mats Lillhannus, Jussi Linnanmäki, Anni Haapaniemi, Mikko-Pekka Svala, Laura Vikman, Marko Ylönen, Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek
  11. 11 Qui passus es pro nobis (Chorus) [Fig. 173] 01:28
    Track
    11
    Title
    Qui passus es pro nobis (Chorus) [Fig. 173]
    Duration
    01:28
    Composer
    Arvo Pärt
    Performer
    Jan Lehtola
    Ensemble
    Helsinki Chamber Choir
    Conductor
    Nils Schweckendiek