Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
Kanon Pokajanen (1997)
Capella Amsterdam/Daniel Reuss
rec. 2015, Waalse Kerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Reviewed as lossless download
Harmonia Mundi HMM935274 [59]
This is a re-release of a title from Harmonia Mundi (HMC905274) and reviewed by Simon Thompson back in 2016 on its original release. This is now listed as ‘repackaged’ but as far as I can see it looks as close to the original as makes no difference, with excellent booklet notes and all texts with English translations. This review has been made from a 44 kHz/16-bit WAV download so I haven’t had hands-on experience with the CD, but all sung texts and booklet notes are supplied as part of the package.
The première of Kanon Pokajanen or ‘Canon of Repentance’ was soon followed by a recording from its dedicatees the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste on the ECM New Series label, cat. 1654/55. This was recorded in the gorgeously resonant acoustic of the Niguliste Church in Tallinn and has a magical atmosphere that is hard to beat. There is plenty of dynamic range and vocal detail in this recording, and one can imagine that this approaches the effect it would have had in Cologne Cathedral, the space for which it was written on its 750th anniversary.
Capella Amsterdam was recorded in the Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam which doesn’t have quite the rich resonance of the Estonian recording, and the Dutch ensemble sounds a bit smaller scale in terms of vocal numbers. I know this space quite well and it has a feel more of ‘air’ rather than vastness of resonance, certainly as captured in this recording. This more intimate listening experience still works well however, with plenty of space between yourself and the voices, and Daniel Reuss’s expert phrase shaping and feel for contrast creating plenty of musical expression and devotional atmosphere.
Complete recordings of Kanon Pokajanen are few and far between, and the only other one I could find is with Aquarius conducted by Marc Michael de Smet on Sony Classical. This has more of that ‘massed voices’ feel that we hear from the Estonian Chamber Choir, but with audibly heavier vibrato in the singing. Sampled online, this gives the impression of being a fine ‘live’ recording with amply wide dynamic range in the singing, down to almost inaudible softness. Little details such as minor sibilance ensemble issues here and there, plus one or two extraneous coughs and other noises distract just enough however to diminish the magical effect this work can have.
As far as other alternative recordings go there are some that only deal in excerpts or just single movements. Cappella Romana directed by Alexander Lingas on the Capella label has some nice singing, but with the work split into chunks over a programme with other choral works by Pärt it doesn’t really count as far as I’m concerned, and the relatively dry acoustic doesn’t help in elevating us beyond terra firma.
For complete versions of Kanon Pokajanen the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Capella Amsterdam are really your main choices, and I find it harder to give a preference on one over the other than I had expected. Enthusiasts for this work should of course have both. The Estonian recording is more other-worldly, its voices set deeper into that remarkable acoustic and having more of an overtly spiritual impact as a result. Capella Amsterdam is closer to the listener but manages to create a similar immersive effect with the quality of its voices, which is quite a feat. Comparing Ode VIII pretty much at random, you hear those major/minor tonalities and sparing vocal lines ringing out into that vast acoustic of the Niguliste Church and are transported into ethereal realms. Capella Amsterdam convinces with the sheer homogeneousness of its sound and the quality and purity from each vocal section, and I find myself equally absorbed. Either way it is certainly worth seeing this Harmonia Mundi title reissued, so get a copy while you can,
Dominy Clements
Review (of original release): Simon Thompson
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