The New Criterion: In Memoriam

Witness, then, a product of Pärt’s earlier period when he still labored under the watchful eyes of the Soviet censors: “Summa” (1977), which Pärt has called his most “strict and enigmatic” tintinnabuli work. Like “Silouan’s Song,” it is an instrumental piece for orchestra inspired by a text, in this case the Latin Credo—a subtle act of protest against the atheist regime.

Following this was the much-awaited world premiere of “O Holy Father Nicholas” (2021), based on the English text from a prayer in the Orthodox liturgy. Bookended by two short, contrastingly ebullient settings of the Trinitarian formula (“In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit”), the main section of the a cappella hymn is a solemn outpouring of emotion, a repeated invocation of the words “O Holy Saint Nicholas, pray unto God for us.” Pärt, whose compositional style can sometimes resemble theme and variation, paints this phrase in varying emotional shades, resolving the piece in a peaceful silence before the Trinity is sunnily invoked at the end. All sections of the choir shone in this performance, particularly the basses; smiles on the choir and conductor’s faces at the end showed that all were pleased with the results.

Read the full review: https://newcriterion.com/blogs/dispatch/in-memoriam