Schnittke & Pärt: Choral Works (2) Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Kaspars Putniņš

• Alfred Schnittke (1934 - 1998): Choir Concerto:
• 1 Schnittke: Choir Concerto: I. O Master of All Living 15:20
• 2 Schnittke: Choir Concerto: II. This Collection of Songs 07:59
• 3 Schnittke: Choir Concerto: III. To All Who Grasp the Meaning 11:33
• 4 Schnittke: Choir Concerto: IV. Complete This Work Which I Began in Hope 04:44
• Alfred Schnittke: 3 Sacred Hymns:
• 5 Schnittke: 3 Sacred Hymns: No. 1, Hail Mary, Full of Grace 01:33
• 6 Schnittke: 3 Sacred Hymns: No. 2, Lord Jesus 01:19
• 7 Schnittke: 3 Sacred Hymns: No. 3, Our Father 03:25
• Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen:
• 8 Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 1, O Weisheit 01:35
• 9 Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 2, O Adonai 01:56
• 10 Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 3, O Spross aus Isais Wurzel 00:56
• 11 Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 4, O Schlüssel Davids 02:26
• 12 Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 5, O Morgenstern 02:13
• 13 Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 6, O König aller Völker 01:20
• 14 Pärt: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen: No. 7, O Immanuel 02:30
• Total Runtime 58:49

Info for Schnittke & Pärt: Choral Works (2)

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 Putninš 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.

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Kaspars Putniņš, conductor

No biography found.

Booklet for Schnittke & Pärt: Choral Works (2)