SACDs - Pärt

Paul Hillier curates this collection of Arvo Pärt's instrumental and choral chamber music drawn from different periods in the composer's career. He brings together his celebrated vocal ensembles, along with chamber group NYYD, and long-time collaborator organist Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, to produce another powerful recording of ethereal sacred music. Theatre of Voices and Ars Nova Copenhagen appear in Glasgow at the end of March performing 'Stimmung', 'The Little Match Girl Passion', Allegri and Terry Riley.

KUNIKO’s eagerly awaited second album includes world premiere recordings of the percussionist’s new arrangements of popular works by contemporary composers Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich and Hywel Davies.

All three composers have consulted upon, and approved, KUNIKO’s arrangements on ‘cantus’.

The pieces are arranged for five octave marimba or vibraphone and each was chosen to fully demonstrate the colours, depth and dynamics of the instrument.

KUNIKO gave the world premiere performance of Reich’s New York Counterpoint version for marimba in New York in 2012. KUNIKO won praise from the composer himself who stated: 'Kuniko Kato is a first rate percussionist.’

The simplicity and beauty of Arvo Pärt’s music has won the composer many fans. In turn Pärt is a fan of KUNIKO’s arrangements having approved the new versions premiered on this album.

KUNIKO has arranged four of his best-loved pieces including Cantus, a fitting tribute to Benjamin Britten in 2013, his 100th anniversary year.

Purl Ground is an original piece written by British composer Hywel Davies, which KUNIKO premiered at the Cheltenham Festival in 2011 to critical acclaim. The piece is arranged for solo marimba and makes excellent use of both tremolo and pianissimo effects.

KUNIKO is a soloist who is recognised around the world as one of the most gifted and significant percussionists of her generation in today’s contemporary and classical music scene.

KUNIKO’s debut ‘kuniko plays reich’ was acclaimed by the media becoming Linn’s bestselling album of 2011.

In 2012 KUNIKO completed a world tour playing at venues in America, France, Israel, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and Australia.

KUNIKO has worked with Seji Ozawa, Toru Takemitsu, James Wood, Steve Reich, Keiko Harada, Franco Donatoni and others.

As exclusive Chandos artists, the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge here presents its second release. The first CD, of choral music by Howells (CHAN10587), was released to rave reviews in March this year. Choir and Organ wrote: ‘There is musicianship here of a rare and moving kind.’ This new release of popular choral classics should meet with a similar reception while at the same time appealing to a wider audience.

Established in the 1670s, the Choir of St John’s has a distinguished tradition of performing religious music. Its main duty is singing the daily services in the College Chapel during the University Term. During the University vacation the Choir carries out engagements in the UK and overseas, as well as undertaking a busy recording schedule. This particular release was recorded in the College Chapel in full surround-sound. The disc not only sounds spectacular, but recreates to an uncanny degree the experience of listening to the Choir perform in the chapel.

The music itself represents a time span of nearly 500 years of choral music. The earliest piece dates from the first half of the sixteenth century, and the newest was composed as recently as 2007. The styles and genres are varied, but there are clear links between the works throughout. For example, several are based on texts from the psalms, and the works by Pärt, Parsons, and Rachmaninoff offer three radically different interpretations of the Ave Maria. Some of the works also add a solo instrument to the familiar mix of voices and organ. But perhaps most importantly, all the pieces recorded here sit comfortably under the heading of ‘Popular Choral Classics’.

Allegri’s Miserere is counted among the great classics of church music. Part of its mystique stems from its origins; for many years the work was performed only in the Sistine Chapel, and as with other works tied to a single place it became an object for pilgrimage. In this case the pilgrims included Mendelssohn, as well as Mozart who famously noted down the work from memory after leaving the Vatican, thereby risking excommunication by the Catholic Church. This new release also features Stanford’s Jubilate, which was written for Trinity College, Cambridge. Intended as part of the service of Morning Prayer, it has long been one of the most popular canticles in the Anglican repertoire. In keeping with the text, Psalm 100, the tone is festive throughout.