1. Miserere 34:34
2. Festina Lente 5:24
3. Sarah Was Ninety Years Old 25:28
Beethovenhalle Orchestra - Orchestra
Dennis Russell Davies - Conductor
Hilliard Ensemble
Paul Hillier - Conductor
AMG:
"This recording shows a different side of Arvo Pärt's compositional work. The title composition has unusual instrumentation: winds and brass, choir and soloists, electric guitar, and bass guitar. The lyrics come slowly, one word per bar at a near pppp volume level. The text comes from Psalm 51, David's 'Have Mercy on Me' psalm, before bursting like an apocalyptic fire into the classic 'Dies Irae,' a tremendous assault of holy terror best listened to in the dark by the fireplace. 'Festina Lente' is a shorter work for strings and harp - short, brisk, and entertaining, developed from a single melody. 'When Sarah Was Ninety Years Old' is among the last of his 'minimal' works prior to his development of his tintinnabuli style. A longer work complete with voices, organ, and percussion, it is nonetheless a programmatic work despite the lack of an actual sung text. This collection offers some of the diversity of Pärt's work on a single record."
Miserere
Scans