Vox Clamantis Returns to ECM with More Pärt

The cover of And I heard a voice, whose design seems to reflect the subtleties of the composer’s approach to dynamics (courtesy of Jensen Artists)

It seems to have been a while since my last encounter with an ECM New Series album of the music of Arvo Pärt. My last encounter was early in December of 2023, when ECM released its Tractus album. Even earlier was the release, almost exactly nine years ago, of The Deer’s Cry, consisting primarily of Pärt compositions performed by the Estonian vocal chamber ensemble Vox Clamantis, conducted by Artistic Director Jaan-Eik Tulve. That ensemble performs six further vocal works by Pärt on the new ECM album And I heard a voice, released today and currently available for MP3 download through an Amazon.com Web page.

Pärt was born on September 11, 1935, meaning that he will turn 90 in less than a week’s time. Another “landmark” is that his collaboration with Vox Clamantis has endured over the course of 25 years. As a result, And I heard a voice is a significant release “by the numbers” if for no other reason! There are those that might accuse the composer of sameness over the extent of his repertoire. Nevertheless, there are an abundance of engaging passages in this latest release of choral music that struck this listener (at least) as a far cry from here-we-go-again composition!

The longest selection on the album is also the most recent, “O Holy Father Nicholas,” just short of eleven minutes in duration. Brevity is encapsulated in the Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen, the shortest of which is slightly less than a minute, with the longest just short of three minutes. Overall dynamics tend to be hushed, meaning that rising even to mezzo-forte comes across as a climactic moment. Under Tulve’s leadership, Vox Clamantis has a solid command of the subtleties of the overall dynamic profile. Thus, taken as a whole, the album is a thoroughly engaging exercise in attentive listening!