Arvo Pärt - Credo (Paavo Järvi)

Information

Composer: Arvo Pärt

1. Fratres (Version for String Orchestra and Percussions)
2. Swansong
3. Für Lennart in memoriam
4. Da pacem Domine (Version for String Orchestra)
5. Silhouette
6. Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten
7. Mein Weg (Version for String Orchestra and Percussions)
8. Credo
9. Estonian Lullaby (Version for Choir and String Orchestra)

Kalle Randalu, piano

Estonian National Male Choir

Ellerhein Girls' Choir

Ellerhein Alumni Choir

Estonian Festival Orchestra

Paavo Järvi, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Alpha Classics

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Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra honor composer Arvo Pärt on his 90th birthday in 2025 with a program spanning 45 years of his music. Pärt has long been part of Järvi’s life, remembered from childhood as a family friend. The Järvi family’s history is closely tied to Pärt’s career: Neeme Järvi’s 1968 performance of Credo led to their blacklisting by the Soviet regime and eventual exile. That pivotal work is included in this tribute. Pärt’s hallmark simplicity and depth are exemplified in his belief that music transforms when performed “with love,” a philosophy that continues to inspire Järvi’s interpretations.

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935, Paide, Estonia) is an internationally renowned composer, celebrated for developing the “tintinnabuli” style, inspired by bell-like sonorities and sacred traditions such as Gregorian chant and Orthodox liturgy. Early in his career, he experimented with 12-tone composition, notably in Nekrolog (1960), and gained recognition with Credo (1968), which was banned in the Soviet Union. After years of silence and study, he unveiled his new austere style in works like Für Alina (1976), Fratres (1977), and Tabula Rasa (1977). His spiritually charged music, often labeled “holy minimalism,” has earned worldwide acclaim, major awards, and enduring influence.

Paavo Järvi (b. 1962, Estonia) is a Grammy-winning conductor, acclaimed for his work with leading international orchestras. He is Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen since 2004, and founder of the Estonian Festival Orchestra. Järvi has led acclaimed recording projects, including Mahler, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Messiaen, and John Adams. He founded the Pärnu Music Festival in 2011, now a celebrated international event. Regularly guest conducting orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw, he has also maintained ties with former ensembles. Honors include a Grammy, Sibelius Medal, and the 2022 European Cultural Prize.

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