Arvo Pärt: Stabat Mater & Other Works

Whereas even the greatest composers have found it hard to resist filling their scores with lots of notes, Pärt creates transparent, sparing soundworlds that appear to grow out of silence and stillness. Three late-1970s instrumental favorites—Fratres, Spiegel im Spiegel, and Summa, played with exquisite poise—are included here as an entrée into the later vocal works. The honeyed, near vibrato-less purity of countertenor Andreas Scholl proves a perfect match for Pärt’s linear clarity, especially in the haunting setting of Robert Burns’ My Heart’s in the Highlands. And Pärt’s ability to appeal to people from all traditions is made literal by the seemingly disparate vocal team of Aleksandra Kurzak, Scholl, and Roberto Alagna, who unite miraculously in a powerfully expressive performance of the Stabat Mater.