ARVO PÄRT : Te Deum; Silovans Song; Magnificat; Berliner Messe (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A richly realized collection of prayers that brings deep, resounding enlightenment to the ears. Everything about this compact disc feels like Arvo Pärt's master work, right down to the gorgeous photos in the accompanying booklet. "Te Deum" opens patiently and ominously, then proceeds to run the spectrum between overflowing swells and hushed contemplation. The Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir breathe as one under the magnificent direction of Tönu Kaljuste for this and "Berliner Messe," the closing mass that parts the clouds with its stark beauty and pious rejoicing (the third passage within the mass, "Erster Alleluiavers," is a brief teardrop of reverence that even atheists would ponder). Elsewhere, the a cappella chorus of "Magnificat" shines with vocals that embrace the church walls with chills and crispness, like a beam of moonlight through winter. One of the composer's strengths has always been to find the depth in simplicity. To this end, ever-present ECM producer Manfred Eicher's sparse and beautiful sensibilities fit Arvo Pärt like a glove, especially with "Silouans Song," which blossoms in stoic waves of strings. Such bittersweet longing resides here ("My soul yearns after the Lord") that a little sadness seems to slip out through all the reverence. This is uniformly his finest album, but by no means does it encompass all he has to offer. The compositions in Te Deum may not reveal Pärt's more eclectic and thunderous side, but few other albums carry such a consistent theme. by Glenn Swan

Tracklist:

1 - Te Deum (1984-1986)

2 - Silouans Song (1991) - 'My Soul yearns after the Lord...' 

3 - Magnificat (1989) 

4 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Kyrie 

5 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Gloria 

6 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Erster Alleluiavers 

7 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Zweiter Alleluiavers 

8 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Veni Sancte Spiritus

9 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Credo 

10 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Sanctus 

11 - Berliner Messe (1990-1992) - Agnus Dei

ARVO PÄRT - Orient & Occident (2002) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Surprises are in store here for anyone expecting the contemplative style for which Arvo Pärt is best known. The composer's identity is still recognizable -- events happen deliberately, in a slow, wave-like procession. But all three works on the disc are marked by dramatic contrasts rather than Pärt's usual resounding stasis. There's nothing minimalist about Como cierva sedienta at all. This half-hour work for women's chorus, soprano, and orchestra, Pärt's first work in Spanish, conflates the texts of Psalms 42 and 43, beginning with a much-simplified modern Spanish translation of the line generally rendered in English as "As the hart panteth after the water brooks." The text is cast in a complex form; there are five sections, several of them framed by instrumental interludes, and the text prayerfully returns three times to the verse beginning "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" In tonality and manner, the work evokes both Britten's choral music and even Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, but it's a bit grander than either, with harps and big climaxes. Likewise unexpected are the two short works included on the album. The all-instrumental title work Orient & Occident is a positively Ivesian piece that opposes an Indian-sounding Eastern melody to Western chordal textures. The two layers clash, tentatively meet, go their separate ways, and finally reach a tense yet solid coexistence. Composed in 2000, it marks a fascinating departure for Pärt, and to these ears it's a real gem. The opening Wallfahrtslied (1984) offers another binary concept: a literally monotone men's vocal chorus representing the death that claimed a friend of the composer is surrounded by active strings symbolizing the living world. The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir have the right sheen for Pärt and ECM's sound is, as usual, exemplary. by James Manheim