It seems as though every year, mystic Estonian composer Arvo Pärt delivers a new, thoroughly riveting composition. This year, it was Kanon Pokajanen. From the canon of repentance of the Russian Orthodox Church, Part created an a cappella masterpiece, a minimalist work that builds itself gradually, yet completely, upon haunting voices, harmonies, and volume. On this disc, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir delivers a gripping performance, with gorgeous sound quality. It's more than 80 minutes long, but thoroughly rewarding. --Jason VerlindeArvo Pärt's Kanon Pokajanen is an unqualified masterpiece. Although he's previously written music with similar notions of harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic economy, this work successfully incorporates and develops material that in this context easily could become unwieldy. The texts are taken from the canon of repentance of the Russian Orthodox Church, a subject that has occupied the composer for many years. These songs of transformation "invoke the border between day and night ... prophecy and fulfillment, the here and the hereafter." Supervised by the composer, this performance by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is pure gold, and likely will remain the definitive recording. Pärt's music rises from gentle valleys to impressive dramatic heights; from single voices to full choir. Here is 83 minutes of exquisite a cappella music in which time and space seem one, and rhythms find their place in a perfect synchrony with breathing and heartbeat. Whether any of this is conscious on the composer's part is incidental. Pärt is tuned into something that finds and touches us all. --David Vernier
