Arvo Pärt: Passio

Cantorei, the professional vocal ensemble of St. James Cathedral, with chamber orchestra, sings Arvo Pärt's masterwork Passio.

This unique and meditative setting of the St. John Passion is a pinnacle of Arvo Pärt’s tintinnabuli compositional style. Sung in Latin, the work is scored for solo baritone (Jesus), solo tenor (Pilate), solo vocal quartet (Evangelist), choir, violin, oboe, cello, bassoon, and organ. The harmonies, though stark and minimalist, are deeply moving. Pärt once commented, "I could compare my music to white light which contains all colors. Only a prism can divide the colors and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener."

"Tintinnabuli is the mathematically exact connection from one line to another…tintinnabuli is the rule where the melody and the accompaniment [accompanying voice]…is one. One and one, it is one—it is not two. This is the secret of this technique." – from a conversation between Arvo Pärt and Antony Pitts recorded for BBC Radio 3 at the Royal Academy of Music in London on 29 March 2000, as printed in the liner notes of the Naxos Records release of Passio.