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Arvo PÄRT (b. 1935) Da pacem Domine (2004) [5:40] (Da pacem Domine; In diebus nostris; Quia non est alius; Qui pugnet pro nobis; Nisi tu Deus noster) The Hilliard Ensemble: Sarah Leonard, soprano; David James, counter-tenor; Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor; Stephen Harrold, tenor; Gordon Jones, baritone Lamentate for piano and orchestra (Homage to Anish Kapoor and his sculpture "Marsyas") (2002) [37:04] (Minacciando [2:38]; Spietato [3:33]; Fragile [1:04]; Pregando – state d’animo [5:25]; Consolante [1:21]; Stridento [1:31]; Lamentabile [5:46]; Risolutamente [2:45]; Fragile e conciliante [6:56]) Alexei Lubimov (piano) SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra/Andrey Boreyko rec. June 2004, Stadthalle Sindelfingen. Germany. DDD ECM NEW SERIES ECM 1930 [42.46]

This ECM New Series disc of works by Arvo Pärt opens with Da Pacem Domine, a four-part a cappella prayer for peace. Composed in 2004, it has a typically Pärt-ian timeless, floating beauty of sound. The performance by the Hilliard Ensemble is resonant and well paced. The bulk of this rather short disc (42 mins) is taken up with Lamentate, a work that Pärt describes as a "lament for the living", inspired by Anish Kapoor’s Tate Modern exhibit "Marsyas". At first, I found this work deeply exciting – particularly with its wild, frantic, exultant and monumental Spietato. Yet the work continually veers from these moments of delirious, tempestuous, disharmonious, extrovert tumult to those of great introversion, spacious stillness and peace, almost Einaudi-like in their simplicity. My first impressions of awe and exhilaration soon turned to boredom, as I began to find the work, as Josef Holbrooke said of poor old Goossens "arduous or exhilarating by turns". The main problem with it is that it lacks consistency of inspiration, and that it goes on far too long, with nothing to say. Pärt’s music is usually contemplative and reserved - wonderfully so - but this totally lacks body and substance. Some harsh critics might claim that this is what happens when one takes a lump of metal in the Tate Modern as one’s inspiration rather than the Divine. In any case the result is pretty tinkling sounds interspersed with some booms and bangs, without any meaning, and a complete lack of spiritual backbone. My intense irritation at the Einaudi-esque parts were further exacerbated by an awfully artificial-sounding, reverberant tinkly piano. Despite good – if extremely resonant - performances of both pieces, this is not a disc I can recommend except possibly to Einaudi fans. Da Pacem Domine is inoffensive -if less exciting and inspired than most of Pärt’s output - but Lamentate I would never have guessed was by Pärt, of whom I used to be a fairly ardent admirer. I find it curiously apt that so tortuous and occasionally tormenting a piece was inspired by a sculpture named after a satyr who was tortured by being flayed alive after challenging Apollo to a musical competition. Em Marshall     Gerard Hoffnung CDs Advertising on Musicweb Donate and get a free CD   New Releases   Musicweb sells the following labels Acte Préalable (THE Polish label) Altus 10% off Arcodiva Atoll 10% off CDAccord CRD 10% off Hallé 10% off Hortus Lyrita 10% off Nimbus 10% off Nimbus Alliance Prima voce 10% off Red Priest 10% off Retrospective 10% off Saydisc 10% off Sheva £2 off Sheva Contemporary Sterling 10% off Toccata Classics Follow us on Twitter Subscribe to our free weekly review listing sample Sample: See what you will get Editorial Board MusicWeb International Founding Editor    Rob Barnett Seen & Heard Editor Emeritus    Bill Kenny Editor in Chief    Vacant MusicWeb Webmaster    David Barker MusicWeb Founder    Len Mullenger

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