Schnittke - Choir Concerto, 3 Sacred Hymns; Part - 7 Magnificat Antiphons | BIS BIS2521

Schnittke - Choir Concerto, 3 Sacred Hymns; Part - 7 Magnificat Antiphons

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Label: BIS

Cat No: BIS2521

Format: Hybrid SACD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Vocal/Choral

Release Date: 2nd July 2021

Contents

Artists

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

Conductor

Kaspars Putnins

Works

Part, Arvo

Magnificat Antiphons (7)

Schnittke, Alfred

Concerto for Choir
Sacred Hymns (3)

Artists

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

Conductor

Kaspars Putnins

About

As Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt both adopted the Orthodox faith in the 1970s, Orthodox choral traditions became increasingly prominent in their work, but both composers also looked to the music of the Western church. Schnittke’s Three Sacred Hymns set three prayers, familiar in the West as Ave Maria, the Jesus Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer, and evoke Orthodox chant. His Choir Concerto, on the other hand, draws on Russian choral music of the 19th century and the tradition of large-scale concert works based on Orthodox choral music. The texts by the medieval Armenian poet Gregory of Narek are informed by a humanistic individualism, with the poet directly expressing his emotions and often writing in the first person.

In the case of Pärt, his detailed study of Orthodox chant caused him to develop his so-called ‘tintinnabuli’ system of composition as an extension of the harmonic practices of Orthodox choral music. He wrote his Seven Magnificat-Antiphons in 1988, applying the tintinnabuli technique to texts from the Catholic liturgy in the German language – a striking East-West hybrid.

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putniņš have combined sacred works by Schnittke and Pärt before, their previous release on BIS earning them a prestigious Gramophone Award in the Choral Music category.

Reviews

... the Estonian choir have long had a natural affinity with this sort of repertoire [Schnittke’s Choir Concerto], possessing a depth and variety of vocal colour and a familiarity with Slavic-language singing that make them ideal candidates for a work of this magnitude. And even if you have one or more of the several other excellent recordings of this masterpiece, you should add this to the collection. ... We are not lacking in recordings of Pärt’s Magnificat Antiphons, either, but this stands with the best of them. ... An album that haunts and dazzles by turns: very highly recommended.  Ivan Moody
Gramophone October 2021
Gramophone Editor's Choice

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