Large-Scale Choral Music
How about some monumental “contemporary” unaccompanied choral music? Two 20th-century composers (so much for “contemporary”) I admire have written pieces that are impressive for their length and complexity or superficial lack thereof (as we will see).
The composers are Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt. Both were born in the Soviet Union - Schnittke, in Volga; Pärt, in Estonia - and found their unique musical languages partially through their experiences living in the totalitarian system. Both the works I want to introduce are both based on Orthodox Christian texts treating the broad topic of repentance. Schnittke’s lyrics are in 16th century Russian; Pärt’s, in Church Slavonic.
This is where the commonalities end: musically, the two pieces could not be farther from one another.
Take Schnittke’s Psalms of Repentance. The piece is some forty to fifty minutes long and harmonically challenging. There are neither complex rhythm nor counterpoint: the singers basically “read out” the lyrics to the listener, albeit with the composer’s interpretation added. The music directly slams the full emotional bandwidth into the listener’s ears: ranging from self-doubt, consciousness of and sadness about guilt, and trust in forgiveness and eternal love are all there, mostly in the harmonics. Here is a recent (and quite excellent) rendition.
Now, take Pärt’s Kanon Pokajanen. Commissioned for the 750th anniversary of Cologne Cathedral, it had to be monumental, and with a duration of 80-90 minutes, it does not disappoint. (Remember, this is for unaccompanied choir.) The piece is written in Pärt’s personal style, which is not known for huge dramatic effects at all. That makes it immensely hard to perform and listen to. The performers, on the one hand, have to muster the strength to keep very long arcs of subtle suspense that often incorporate actual silence. Getting this wrong makes for a very monotonous and dull experience. It’s hard, very hard, to sing like that for such a long time. The audience, on the other hand, must be ready to endure a long time of meditative no-drama tension. It’s really quite unique. Kanon Pokajanen does have all the drama that comes with the lyrics, but it’s veiled and more spiritual than with the previous piece. Give it a try: I could not find a good complete rendition on the ’tubes, so here’s a collection of excerpts that has appropriate quality.
Tags: music