Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Secundum Joannem

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Product Description Naxos is proud to present a brand new recording of Arvo Pärt’s Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem, a major milestone in Naxos’ recording legacy and only the third recording of the work to be released on compact disc. One of the most significant choral works of the late twentieth century, Pärt’s Passio has been described as "surely the bleakest, most ritualistic Passion to be composed since Heinrich Schutz’s settings of the mid seventeenth century" (Gramophone). Composed in 1982, it is one of the works in which Pärt uses "tintinnabulist" techniques – the sound or music of bells. "I build with the most primitive materials – with the triad. … The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation". (Arvo Pärt) This new recording by Oxford-based ensemble Tonus Peregrinus offers a radically different take on the music from existing recordings. When recording the work, the ensemble followed all Pärt’s score markings to the letter. After the recording session, the disc was sent to the composer who listened carefully and decided to clarify exactly what he had intended by the score markings; the present recording was then edited according to his new "rules". This is therefore the very first recording of the Passio to take account of the composer’s recent clarification of precise note and rest durations. Amazon.com Composed in 1982 and later recorded by the Hilliard Ensemble on ECM, Arvo Pärt’s Passio (Passion According to St. John) made its composer famous, and rightly so. It is a work of unique beauty. Its meditative, intensely spiritual quality is static; the listener will find no outbursts or overtly dramatic moments to latch on to as one does in Bach's Passions. Here the story is told with a lack of overt emotionalism which quickly becomes hypnotic. Jesus is a bass, he is accompanied by an organ, all his words are intoned slowly, on lengthy note values. The role of the Evangelist is taken by four voices--a soprano, alto, tenor, and bass--and they are accompanied, on short note values and in different groupings (and frequently dissonantly), by one each of violin, cello, oboe, and bassoon. Pilate is a tenor. This new performance cuts 10 minutes off the 71-minute timing on the ECM recording; still, it can't be accused of treating the music lightly or with anything other than the respect and dignity it deserves. The final eight-word prayer, which ends in a beautiful, life-affirming D-major chord is taken, in fact, too slowly--the novice listener may presume one of the too-long pauses is the work's end. But aside from this miscalculation, this new performance is glorious, and at less than half the price of the ECM (or one on Elektra), should be in the collection of anyone interested in devotional music, beautiful music, and/or the phenomenon that is Arvo Pärt. Very highly recommended. --Robert Levine
ASIN: B00008IHVX
VSKU: COV.B00008IHVX.N
Condition: New
Binding: Audio CD