Tõnu Kaljuste conducts Pärt: Te Deum

Arvo Pärt is sometimes called a "holy minimalist", but although the inspiration behind his Te Deum of 1985 is unquestionably sacred, there’s nothing minimal about this mighty song of praise for three choruses and orchestra. The emotions, too, are vast in scale, and this pre-Millennium performance from the stunning Church of St. Nicholas in Tallinn – conducted by one of Pärt’s favourite interpreters, Tõnu Kaljuste – captures the soul of a work that Pärt himself describes as "a quest for something believed to be non-existent, but so real that it exists not only within us but beyond our being as well".