Label: Mississippi Records

クリアヴァイナル仕様!!Mississippi Recordsが出版した、エストニアの作曲家アルヴォ・ペルトの作品4曲収録したアルバム[Silentium]。本作の核となるのは、ボストンを拠点とする室内オーケストラ"A Far Cry"による、ペルトの最も有名な協奏曲[Tabula Rasa]の第2楽章[Silentium]の未発表演奏を収録している点。緩和ケア施設でも使われる名曲であり、1984年にECMからリリースされた有名な音源のほぼ半分のテンポで演奏、スローならではの息を呑む様な美しさを放ち、まるで時そのものを静止させてしまうかの様な感覚を放つ。未体験の方は是非。





Four pieces by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, a pioneer of “holy minimalism.” The album centers around a never-before-released rendition of “Silentium,” the second movement of Pärt’s most famous concerto, Tabula Rasa, performed by Boston-based chamber orchestra A Far Cry. The group plays “Silentium” at nearly half the speed of the best-known version, released on ECM in 1984. The piece, known for its healing properties for the dying and often used in palliative care facilities (one patient famously called it “angel music”), is breathtaking at half speed, seemingly stilling time itself.

The album compiles some of the most stunning renditions of Pärt’s music ever recorded. “Vater Unser (Arr. for trombone & string ensemble)” is somehow warm and austere at once. A miniature epic. Pianist Marcel Worm’s solo version of “Variationen zur Gesundung von Arinuschka” is as beautiful as anything we’ve ever heard. “Fratres for Strings and Percussion” is one of Arvo Pärt’s most celebrated works. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra’s version is iconic, filled with emotional playing right on the verge of overly romantic, but never tipping over.

Pärt’s approach to both music and life is as sparse as the compositions he creates. He once said, “I have nothing to say… Music says what I need to say. And it is dangerous to say anything, because if I’ve said it already in words there might be nothing left for my music.” Silentium continues Mississippi Records’ fascination with this great contemporary composer.