The music of Arvo Pärt makes palpable the fundamental human need for a connection between aesthetics, ethics, and spirituality—a need that is often subordinated to politics and economics in our society. He received this recognition in 2007 with the awarding of the International Bridge Prize of the cities of Görlitz and Zgorzelec. His new recording, 'In Principio,' demonstrates how his more recent music embodies precisely this connection. A quarter of a century ago, ECM launched its New Series with Pärt's Tabula Rasa. Now, the composer's twelfth album, again produced by Manfred Eicher, presents six compositions of varying lengths spanning almost ten years. Four of these works appear on CD for the first time. The meticulous performances were recorded by Estonian ensembles under the direction of Tōnu Kaljuste—a conductor long familiar with Pärt's music—and accompanied throughout by the composer.
In Principio, Pärt's music is a quintessentially eclectic mix. The stylistic diversity is impressive: Pärt creates masterful syntheses of the expressive means he has pursued since developing his personal style in the mid-1970s. Intimate and monumental elements coexist; chord progressions build to dramatic climaxes. The modulations of his pieces are always based on their fundamental emotional meaning. Principio is a five-part setting of the opening verses of the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word." The elegiac orchestral piece "La Sindone" evokes the image of Christ on the Shroud of Turin. "Cecilia, vergine romana," composed for the celebration of the Holy Year 2000 in Rome, is dedicated to the martyr and patron saint of music. A quiet plea for peace, remembrances of a deceased friend, and a reflection on the highs and lows of life form the emotional journeys of these three relatively short pieces, which embody the magic of Pärt's music.