Arvo Pärt: Tractus Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra & Tõnu Kaljuste

• Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): Littlemore Tractus:
• 1 Pärt: Littlemore Tractus 07:29
• Greater Antiphons:
• 2 Pärt: Greater Antiphons: I. O Wisdom 01:18
• 3 Pärt: Greater Antiphons: II. O Adonai 02:35
• 4 Pärt: Greater Antiphons: III. O Root of Jesse 00:52
• 5 Pärt: Greater Antiphons: IV. O Key of David 01:45
• 6 Pärt: Greater Antiphons: V. O Morning Star 01:59
• 7 Pärt: Greater Antiphons: VI. O King of all People 01:31
• 8 Pärt: Greater Antiphons: VII. O Emmanuel 03:02
• Cantique des degrés:
• 9 Pärt: Cantique des degrés 09:26
• Sequentia:
• 10 Pärt: Sequentia 03:58
• L'abbé Agathon:
• 11 Pärt: L'abbé Agathon 13:55
• These Words…:
• 12 Pärt: These Words… 12:32
• Veni creator:
• 13 Pärt: Veni creator 02:57
• Vater unser:
• 14 Pärt: Vater unser 03:43
• Total Runtime 01:07:02

Info for Arvo Pärt: Tractus

Tractus emphasizes Arvo Pärt compositions that blend the timbres of choir and string orchestra. New versions predominate, with focused performances from the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste’s direction that invite alert and concentrated listening. From the opening composition Littlemore Tractus, which takes as its starting point consoling reflections from a sermon by John Henry Newman, the idea of change, transfiguration and renewal resonates, setting a tone for a recording whose character is one of summing up, looking inward, and reconciling with the past. Compositions included are Littlemore Tractus, Greater Antiphons, Cantique des degrés, Sequentia, L’abbé Agathon, These Words… and Veni creator. An evocative reworking of Vater unser for choir, strings and piano concludes this album. Recorded in Tallinn last year and produced by Manfred Eicher, Tractus extends the line of definitive Arvo Pärt albums begun on ECM New Series with the epochal Tabula rasa in 1984.

Tõnu Kaljuste, a long-time ally of Pärt, points out that much recent discussion with the composer has revolved around new approaches to the scores. Commenting on the wide-reaching and evocative repertoire brought together here, Wolfgang Sandner remarks in the albums liner note, “sound and silence, music and word always remain in dialogue in Arvo Pärt’s work. But the vocal and the instrumental too, the secular and the profane, complement each other. Liturgical ritual and spiritual concert are in exchange and form a context that points to a common origin.”

The compositions included on Tractus are based upon or inspired by scriptural, liturgical or other Christian texts. “The text is independent of us,” Pärt once said. “It awaits us. Everyone needs his own time to come to it. The encounter occurs when the text is no longer treated as literature or artwork but as reference point or model.”

Recorded in Tallinn’s Methodist Church last year, Tractus extends the line of Arvo Pärt albums begun with Tabula rasa in 1984, the recording which initially brought Pärt’s music to widespread awareness. The collaboration between Arvo Pärt and producer Manfred Eicher has persisted now for forty years: “Our work together making new records is always a celebration,” Pärt has said. “It is something very lively and in continuous formation.”

Music and word: In Arvo Pärt’s work, they are manifestly at its core, even when no word is heard, no text has been set to music, but the power of language becomes the subject nonetheless. (Wolfgang Sandner)

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra
Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC)
is one of the best-known Estonian music ensembles in the world. The EPCC was founded in 1981 by Tõnu Kaljuste, who was the artistic director and chief conductor for twenty years. In the years 2001–2007, the English musician Paul Hillier took over. Between the years 2008–2013 the artistic director and chief conductor was Daniel Reuss and in the years 2014–2021 Kaspars Putniņš. Since August 2021 the artistic director and chief conductor is Tõnu Kaljuste.

The repertoire of the choir extends from Gregorian chant and baroque to the music of the 21st century, with a special focus on the work of Estonian composers, such as Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Galina Grigoryeva, Toivo Tulev, Tõnu Kõrvits, Helena Tulve, and introducing their output to the world. Each season the choir gives about 60–70 concerts both in Estonia and abroad.

The EPCC has cooperated with a number of outstanding conductors including Claudio Abbado, Helmuth Rilling, Eric Ericson, Ward Swingle, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Nikolai Alekseyev, Olari Elts, Gregory Rose, Andrew Lawrence-King, Roland Böer, Frieder Bernius, Stephen Layton, Marc Minkowski, Christoph Poppen, Sir Colin Davis, Michael Riesman, Louis Langree, Paul McCreesh, Gottfried von der Goltz, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Anu Tali, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Peter Phillips, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle etc.

The EPCC has also worked with the following world-class orchestras such as the Norwegian, Australian, Lithuanian, Prague and Stuttgardt Chamber Orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Berlin Rundfunk Orchestra, Concerto Copenhagen, Concerto Palatino, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra, the Salzburg Camerata, Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, the Philip Glass Ensemble, the North Netherland Symphony Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.

The EPCC has been a welcome guest at numerous music festivals and outstanding venues all over the world including the BBC Proms, the Mozartwoche, the Abu Gosh Music Festival, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Musikfest Bremen, the Salzburg Festspiele, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Festival Aix-en-Provence, the International Cervantino Festival, the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, the Bergen International Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Sydney Opera House, Wiener Konzerthaus, the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Versailles Opéra Royal, Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, LSO St Luke’s and Barbina Centre in London, the Esplanade in Singapore, the Flagey in Brussels, Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Kennedy Centre in Washington, the Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles etc.

Another important aspect in the choir’s life is recording music (for ECM, Virgin Classics, Carus, Harmonia Mundi and Ondine), resulting in various award-winning CDs. The EPCC recordings have twice won a Grammy-Award for Best Choral Performance: in 2007 for the album of Arvo Pärt’s Da Pacem (Harmonia Mundi) with conductor Paul Hillier and Arvo Pärt’s Adam’s Lament (ECM) with conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. All in all, the choir has 16 Grammy nominations with works by Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür and the music from the Nordic countries. In 2018 the recording „Schnittke – Psalms of Repentance. Pärt – Magnificat & Nunc dimittis” (BIS), conducted by Kaspars Putniņš, won Gramophone Award. The EPCC recordings have also won the award Diapason d’Or, Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Danish Music Award, de Choc de l’Année Classica 2014, Prix Caecilia, and more. In 2020 BBC Music Magazine has named EPCC as one of the 10 best choirs in the world.

Tõnu Kaljuste
has gained international recognition with his diverse repertoire, which ranges from operas and classical symphonic works to contemporary music. He has worked with major modernist composers of Northern and Eastern Europe, such as Alfred Schnittke, György Kurtág, Krzysztof Penderecki, Giya Kancheli, and Einojuhani Rautavaara, and is recognised as an expert interpreter and advocate of Estonian composers, including Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Tõnu Kõrvits, Veljo Tormis, and Heino Eller.

Kaljuste has got Grammy for Best Choral Performance for the Arvo Pärt album Adam’s Lament in 2014. His recordings have had a number of Grammy nominations in various categories from opera (David and Bathsheba of the Norwegian composer Ståle Kleiberg) to symphonic music. In 2019 he won the International Classical Music Award for the recording of Arvo Pärt’s symphonies with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra. Kaljuste’s recordings have won also other several prestigious prizes such as Cannes Classical Award (1999), Diapason d’Or (2000), Edison Musical Award (2000), Classic BRIT Award (2003), Prix Caecilia (2023). He has recorded for the ECM Records, Virgin Classic, BIS and Caprice Records labels.

In 1981, Tõnu Kaljuste founded the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and, after a 20-year break, returned as its artistic director in August 2021. He founded the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra in 1993 and returned to be its artistic director between 2019–2024. He is the founder and artistic director of the project theatre Nargen Opera (established in 2004) and has led the Nargenfestival since 2006. Tõnu Kaljuste has conducted operas by Joseph Haydn, including L’isola disabitata, Il mondo della luna, and Armida; Beethoven’s Fidelio.

Tõnu Kaljuste has been honoured with many awards in his native Estonia: the Order of the White Star, 4th Class (1998) and the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 2nd Class (2000), the first St Mary’s Medal of St Mary’s Cathedral congregation in Tallinn (2000), Main Prize of the Culture Endowment of Estonia (2004), several national culture awards for the performance of Veljo Tormis’ music (Estonian Ballads in 2005, Estonian Women’s Songs in 2007, Estonian Men’s Songs in 2009), the interpretation award of the Estonian Council of Music (2010), Culture Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2011), the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Grand Prize (2021). He has been awarded the Eri Klas Scholarship (2021), the Honorary Badge of Harju County (2023), and the Coat of Arms Badge of Tallinn (2023). He received Estonian theatre award for the best musical production for Hydrogen Jukebox by Glass (2024). Kaljuste is the Honorary Conductor of the City of Tallinn (2024) and a laureate of the National Lifetime Achievement Award in Culture (2025).

Booklet for Arvo Pärt: Tractus