Pärt album wins Dutch classical music award

An album of Arvo Pärt’s music by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and baroque orchestra Concerto Copenhagen has won the Edison Klassiek, the Netherlands’ leading classical music award, ERR reported. The album, titled “…Lente,” received the award in the vocal music category.

Conductor Tõnu Kaljuste said the recognition could help raise the international profile of Estonian musicians. He also said recording remains important, especially when artists have a distinct idea for a work, whether or not it has been recorded before.

Kaljuste highlighted “Stabat Mater” and “Festina lente” on the album, saying the pieces work well together. “Festina lente” is performed several minutes slower than in previous recordings, he said, and has opened up to him as a powerful follow-on to “Stabat Mater.”

The album was recorded at the Niguliste Museum, where the restored church has an eight-second reverberation. Kaljuste said the acoustics make it a special place to record, and that microphone choices allow sound engineers to shape the result.

The choir and Concerto Copenhagen first worked together in 2004 on Handel’s “Messiah.” The choir had already performed the work in Estonia for 15 years, usually with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. After a long break, the groups performed together again, and Kaljuste said their collaboration now appears set to become more regular.

Kaljuste said awards can help audiences choose among the many recordings on the market. He added that it was fortunate the choir’s ideas were being recorded, including performances by its soloists.