Arvo Pärt: The Early Years - A Portrait | St. John Passion

Soloists:

John Potter, Michael George, Mary Seers, David James, Rogers Covey-Crump, Gordon Jones

Orchestra, choir:

The Hilliard Ensemble, The Western Wind Choir

Conductor:

Paul Hiller

Director:

Dorian Supin

Portrait – A film by Dorian Supin Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is widely recognized as one of today's most original composers. Largely self-taught, Pärt is far removed from the mainstream of the contemporary avant-garde. Much of his music is based on sacred texts and has a solemn, mystical and devotional tone, emphasized by Renaissance harmonies, medieval melodic techniques and even Gregorian chant. The Financial Times has described his works as “music of magical silence, the product of a highly distinctive creative voice that is almost impossible to categorize and seems to have no clear historical predecessors.” The film of rehearsals, recording sessions, and concerts is interwoven with more intimate footage of Pärt with his family. The program features Pärt's works "Miserere," "Cantus," "Pari Intervallo," and "Credo" and "Festina Lente" conducted by Eri Klass. St. John Passion – Live from Durham Cathedral, 1988 Although Arvo Pärt's St. John Passion was composed in 1981, it recalls the purity and timelessness of the great musical passions of the 17th century. The Passion is based on chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel of John, which recount the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter’s denial of Christ, the trial before Pilate, the crowd’s demand for Christ to be crucified, and his death on the cross.