Arvo Pärt - Passio

Arvo Pärt was born in 1935. His struggles with Soviet officials led him to emigrate to the West in 1980 and he currently lives in Berlin. 

As one of the most radical representatives of the so-called ‘Soviet Avant-garde’, Pärt’s work passed through a profound evolutionary process. Pärt is considered one of the pioneers of minimalism along with contemporaries Henryk Górecki and John Tavener.

In the early 1970’s Pärt entered a period of creative silence during which he immersed himself in the study of medieval music, re-investigating the roots of Western music. He studied plainsong, Gregorian chant and the emergence of polyphony in the European Renaissance.

The music that emerged after this period was radically different; Pärt came out of his self-imposed silence having found the voice for which he had been searching. He called his new style of music “tintinnabulation” (from the Latin tinnabulae - “bells”). The music is characterized by simple harmonies, often single, unadorned notes, or triad chords, which form the basis of western harmony. These are reminiscent of ringing bells. Tintinnabuli works are rhythmically simple, and do not change tempo. Pärt describes his music thus: "I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener."

His work “Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem” (The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John) is a passion cantata for solo baritone (Jesus), solo tenor (Pilate), solo vocal quartet (Evangelist), choir, violin, oboe, cello, bassoon and organ. The work lasts approximately 70 minutes and utilizes only the Latin text from the Gospel of John, chapters 18 and 19, plus a brief introduction and conclusion.

With Anneke Lamont , Keaton Manwaring , Arthur Swan, Antoinette Huyssen, Vasti Zeeman-Knoesen, Patric Cordery, Lieva Starker, Cheryl de Havilland, Glyn Partridge, John Rojas.