Reviewed by John Irvine

Recently an interviewer asked Arvo Part about his influences. Part talked about God. Changing the subject completely, the reviewer asked Part about compositional technique. Part again talked about God. Musically, Part is influenced by the Eastern Church, but often finds himself compared to the Minimalists such as Phillip Glass. The difference lies in the fact that although Part uses few notes with much repetition, his few notes are intimately expressive. Personally I find his music reminiscent of the pure vocal music of the Renaissance, particularly of the German composer Schutz (check him out if you can!). This is readily apparent when listening to 'Passio'. Part makes little attempt to illustrate events in the text, preferring to let the melody and text combine in such a way that no operatic theatricality is required. Full texts in German, Latin and English are provided. I did however get quite a shock when I loaded the disc in the player: one track only lasting 70 minutes! But it is music which demands to be heard in one sitting (I'd love to hear this 'live').

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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