Notes and Editorial Reviews

This new Arvo Pärt choral music collection includes a significant number of works sung in English. The three-part Triodion is one of the composer's most inward, contemplative pieces, drawing heavily on early Renaissance choral style for its stark, spare harmonies. Tribute to Caesar, I am the True Vine, and The Woman with the Alabaster Box follow in this tradition, though these feature a richer harmonic palette as well as more fluid movement and brighter colors.
The remaining works include the brooding and intense Ode VII (Memento) from Kanon Pokajanen, the brief, celebratory Bogoróditse Djévo (which closes the program), Nunc dimittis, and Dopo la Vittoria. This last
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is one of the most beautiful compositions on the CD. Here we have the more familiar, "modern" Pärt as we hear passages that sound faintly minimalistic while always draped in luminous colors and arresting timbres. Of course, those two attributes apply to most of Pärt's moving and exquisitely rendered choral music. Exquisite also describes the performances of the Elora Festival Singers, who provide pure-toned and texturally beautiful singing under Noel Edison's direction. Naxos' recording is spacious and well-detailed, with wide dynamics. A truly enjoyable hour of music, essential for Pärt aficionados and choral enthusiasts.
--Victor Carr Jr, ClassicsToday.com
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Works on This Recording
1.
Triodion by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1998
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 13 Minutes 36 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
2.
Tribute to Caesar by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1997
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 5 Minutes 33 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
3.
Nunc dimittis by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 2001; Germany
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 6 Minutes 16 Secs.
Language: Latin
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
4.
Kanon Pokajanen: Ode VII by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1994
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 7 Minutes 37 Secs.
Language: Slavonic
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
5.
I am the True Vine by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1996
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 6 Minutes 50 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
6.
The Woman with the Alabaster Box by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1997
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 5 Minutes 26 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
7.
Dopo la vittoria by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1996-1998; Germany
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 10 Minutes 39 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
8.
Bogoroditse Devo by Arvo Pärt
Conductor:
Noel Edison
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Elora Festival Singers
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1990; Estonia
Venue: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario
Length: 1 Minutes 28 Secs.
Language: Slavonic
Notes: St. John Chrysostom, Newmarket, Ontario (05/19/2006 - 05/21/2006)
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