Arvo Pärt: Passio -- The Hilliard Ensemble
EAC | FLAC IMG+CUE+LOG (275 MB) | Complete HQ Scans (12,4 MB) | 1CD | MU-RS
Classical: Contemporary, 20th Century | ECM 1370 / 837 109-2 | 1988
You might expect that Pärt's meditative, detached style--with little distinction between consonance and dissonance, or overt emotion--wouldn't wear well through a 70-minute Passion in Latin without even a break between tracks. (Actually, there's just one.) The roles are distinguished only by scoring: the Evangelist's narration is taken by four singers and a few instruments in various combinations; Pilate is a deliberate tenor; Jesus, a cavernous bass singing very slowly. However, if you listen calmly and attentively, this work will transport you. When Jesus sings (slowly, on a simple five-note scale), "It is finished," and the Evangelist quartet intones on a single note, "And bowing his head he gave up the spirit," it's heartbreaking. The choir's huge crescendo through the final nine-word prayer is stunning.
--Matthew Westphal. Amazon.com Editorial Review
_TRACKS_
1. Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem
The Hilliard Ensemble
Paul Hillier, conductor
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