Orthodox Take On The Passion

Ok, so it's not Easter but the music doesn't really require topicality. Passio ( St John Passion ) by Arvo Part, performed by the ensemble Tonus Peregrinus Directed by Antony Pitts. This piece is in Part's tintinabuli style where the melody and the accompaniment are one. In this setting it is the text itself which determines the musical structure and even of the duration of the silences between the words which Part specifies for the performers. This gives a feeling of space and repose and time to contemplate the message, even if not every listener will share Part's convictions.The performance is mostly unaccompanied, with only the simplest and subtlest interjections by the organ from time to time. There is of course more of an orthodox Christian feel to the setting as opposed to a latin one and although that isn't native to Tonus Peregrinus, they give a convincing and sincere reading. This disk can be listened to as relaxing chill out music but there is a lot more depth there for those who might seek it.