Bejamin Britten; Arvo Pärt: Choral Works

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Benjamin Britten was a key figure in English music of the entire twentieth century and ranked among the most outstanding composers of his time. One of his most famous works is A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 for high voices and harp. Soon A Ceremony of Carols became very popular: it took a place among the most significant English choral works and is one of Britten’s most often-performed compositions. Its enormous success led the Boosey & Hawkes publishing house to request an adaptation of the whole work for mixed chorus. The texts of this work are taken from the most varied traditional English carols dating back to the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries. Britten achieves an impressive effect via a remarkably simple musical language, a sober Neo-Classical texture, and detailed work with timbre and emotional expression. Apart from the vocal numbers, we also have here a unique ‘Interlude’ for harp alone in which the timbral possibilities of this instrument are employed with great skill, sometimes in the most delicate dynamic shadings. The strength of Britten’s legacy was a great inspiration for many other composers, among them the Estonian Arvo Pärt (born 1935). The hymn Salve Regina for mixed chorus and organ was composed for the cathedral in Essen, Germany, where it was also performed for the first time during a festive mass on 22 May 2002. Monophonic plainchant alternates with homophonic and polyphonic passages, interconnected by sections for organ. Noticeably different are the Two Lullabies (Zwei Wiegenlieder) for voice accompanied by piano or an ensemble. They are intended for Christmas time, and in addition to the proverbial peace and tranquility of the season engage the listener with their melodic style, whose origin may be traced to traditional Estonian folk music. Old runic songs going back to pagan times in the early Middle Ages mingle here with Christian culture and Slavic customs. Pärt’s Lullabies, too, show traces of this age-old heritage, and in these short but masterful pieces we can admire that charming melodic style, with a nostalgic waft of times long past and a pleasing mood of Christmas tranquility.