Estonia's musical prowess was on full display at the Barbican as the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, under the baton of Tõnu Kaljuste, celebrated the 90th birthday of composer Arvo Pärt. The concert featured authoritative performances of Pärt's haunting and hypnotic works, showcasing the depth of talent from the Baltic nation of 1.3 million people.
The programme opened with an unusually impassioned account of 'Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten', with string players leaning into the hypnotic lines under Kaljuste's fluttering left hand. 'Fratres' received similarly insistent treatment, with Harry Traksmann's solo violin performing death-defying variations over the modal melody. Ester Mägi's 'Vesper' tapped into a similar vein of hopeful simplicity.
Two substantial choral works demonstrated the choir's preeminence in Pärt's music. 'Adam's Lament', written in 2009, explored the anguish of humanity's father after the expulsion from paradise, with basses and tenors particularly powerful in a confident reading. The masterly 'Te Deum', composed in 1984 for three choirs, strings, prepared piano and wind harp, lost some resonance in the dry acoustic, but committed singing ensured its sinuous medieval lines worked their magic.
The London premiere of 'L'abbé Agathon' offered a glimpse of Pärt as a musical dramatist. The haunting tale of a hermit tested by a leper who turns out to be an angel featured trudging strings for a desert trek and pizzicatos for a bustling market. Soprano Maria Listra held the audience spellbound, her ethereal voice spiralling higher as the divine messenger disappeared into the heavens.
