The Passio by Arvo Pärt from 1982 makes extensive use of Pärt's so-called 'tintinnabuli' style. According to this style, a certain triad is constantly present in the background, as if the music continuously resonates with a bell or singing bowl. These triads, in combination with the quasi Gregorian melodies, contribute to the archaic character of Pärt's idiom. In the large-scale Passio, each role
… (Evangelist, turba, Pilate, Christ) has its own mode with accompanying tintinnabuli triad. The music is no more than the sober recitation of the text, without striking dramatic accents. The Passio is thus exemplary for a certain kind of neo-spiritual muzak in which boredom quickly sets in. Or maybe not? We are now about twenty years further after the Passio was completed and so ' n fifteen years after The Hilliard Ensemble's famous recording for ECM. Nevertheless, the cult status of the Passio does not fade, because in the meantime the British Tonus Peregrinus, led by Antony Pitts, has also recorded the Passio for Naxos. For those who have the ECM recording in their ears, the new recording takes some getting used to. The Hilliard Ensemble sang as if it were a musical icon, which immediately produced an impressive sound in the Exordium (with beautiful overtones on the 'a' in Joannem). The Naxos image is much less static and bare. The tempos are higher, making the performance about 10 minutes shorter than the one with the Hilliard Ensemble. Robert MacDonald's (Christ's) voice has an ominous kind of resonance to love, but his vibrato is effectively dosed. The singing of the ensemble is excellent, whereby certain sustained tones are very nicely continued. The turba choirs are also beautifully designed. Thanks to this recording, Pärt's music will remain in the spotlight for a while. Perhaps the Passio is now a classic after all ... (HJ)more
