Estonian Pcc/Putnins - Alfred Schnittke: Choir Concerto, Three Sacred Hymns, Arvo P�rt: Seven Magnificat-Antiphons

As Alfred Schnittke and Arvo P�rt both adopted the Orthodox faith in the 1970s, Orthodox choral traditions became increasingly prominent in their work, but both composers also looked to the music of the Western church. Schnittke�s Three Sacred Hymns set three prayers, familiar in the West as Ave Maria, the Jesus Prayer and the Lord�s Prayer, and evoke Orthodox chant. His Choir Concerto, on the other hand, draws on Russian choral music of the 19th century and the tradition of large-scale concert works based on Orthodox choral music. The texts by the medieval Armenian poet Gregory of Narek are informed by a humanistic individualism, with the poet directly expressing his emotions and often writing in the first person. In the case of P�rt, his detailed study of Orthodox chant caused him to develop his so-called �tintinnabuli� system of composition as an extension of the harmonic practices of Orthodox choral music. He wrote his Seven Magnificat-Antiphons in 1988, applying the tintinnabuli technique to texts from the Catholic liturgy in the German language � a striking East-West hybrid. The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putni?� have combined sacred works by Schnittke and P�rt before, their previous release on BIS earning them a prestigious Gramophone Award in the Choral Music category.