Three Top Choirs Sing Rachmaninoff, Schnittke and Pärt
In this episode of Concertzender Live, we spend two hours immersed in the mystical choral sounds of Eastern Europe. The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir performs the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom (pictured), as set to music by Sergei Rachmaninoff in the summer of 1910. Next comes “our own” Netherlands Chamber Choir with Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Choir, a monumental work based on the third prayer from The Book of Lamentations by Gergory of Narek, an Armenian monk who lived from 951 to 1003 AD. Finally, Arvo Pärt’s Which Was the Son of… brings the family tree of Jesus (Luke 3:23-38) to life, performed by The Tallis Scholars. The live recordings were made in 2019, 2020 and 2023.
Playlist:
- Summa (1977) – Arvo Pärt
- Nunc Dimittis (2001) – Arvo Pärt
- Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op. 31 – Sergei Rachmaninoff
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, conducted by Kaspars Putnins
Date: Friday 14 February 2020
Location: Parkstadtheater, Heerlen
Sound engineering: Mike Kramer
- Concerto for Choir (1984–85) – Alfred Schnittke
Netherlands Chamber Choir, conducted by Peter Dijkstra
Date: Tuesday 22 January 2019
Location: Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ [Main Hall], Amsterdam
Sound engineering: Sabrina ter Horst
- Which was the Son of… (2000) – Arvo Pärt
The Tallis Scholars, conducted by Peter Phillips
Date: Wednesday 15 November 2023
Location: Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ [Main Hall], Amsterdam
Sound engineering: Larva Peruzzotti
