Adam's Lament with compositions by Arvo Pärt, released on ECM New Series was one of the Grammy winners last weekend. I've listened to it.

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Adam's Lament won the prestigious Grammy trophy in Category 75 - Best choral performance. Here they competed against Berlioz: Grande Messe Des Morts on LSO Live, Palestrina: Volume 3 of Coro, Parry: Works for Chorus & Orchestra on Chandos and Whitbourn: Annelies on Naxos.

Arvo Pärt is one of the most popular contemporary contemporary composers. He has a very distinct signature on his works, which often consists of sacred choral works. Pärt was born in Paida, a short distance south of the capital Tallinn in Estonia.

A few months ago I wrote about a release from Linn Records with very special interpretations related to Arvo Pärt by the Japanese percussionist Kuniko Kata on the SACD Cantus . This time it is far more traditional Pärt event, for larger choir and orchestra.

The release Adam's Lament consists of eight vocal works, in which the composition Adam's Lament is major work, composed in 2009. And this Adam is absolutely himself primeval Adam - the one with the apple, you know. It is a very beautiful composition that alternates between the lyrical and dramatic, a great performance by the Latvian Radio Choir, Vox Clamantis and Sinfonietta Riga.

One of my absolute favorites on this CD is Salve Regina. Here Pärt created a magical plant with a game between minor and major in a rather unique and innovative harmonic row, and Arvo Pärt's almost legal repetitions with variations underpinning the magic.

My other favorite is L `Abbé Agathon. A beautiful and rich contrast piece that was originally written in 2004 for eight cellos and soprano Barbra Hendricks, here reorcestrated for soprano, female choir and orchestra.

Sound.

ECM is one of my favorite record label - not just because of the musical direction, but also because of the consistently very high sound quality we usually find. This has a downside - the expectations are always on top. And just at Adams Lament these expectations are not 100% satisfied. I don`t think the openness of the soundstage is fully up to the high level I'm used to from ECM. The sound is great, large and clean, but still a little distant. This is a general phenomenon in all of the first six tracks, recorded in 2011 in the beautiful St. Nicholas Church, located at the edge of the historic district on the central hill in Tallinn.

But then, a clear change happens in the last two works, two lullabies. These are recorded in 2007, and here's Rainbow Studio and Jan Erik Kongshaug involved, unlike in the first 6. This may of course be  a coincidence, but in these two tracks we have a far greater openness in the sound,  up to the usual level ECM has become accustomed to.

It should be added, however, that the dynamics are on a exemplary level of all recordings, there are tremendous differences in levels between weak and strong parties.

The overall impression in this release is the one of an amazing production, making it a most worthy Grammy winner!

More information at ECM.

Here you can see another recording of the work Adams Lament, performed in 2009:

Still hungry for Tallinn and Pärt? My Architecture Safari in Tallinn in 2013, with or music by Arvo Pärt: