The Album Club: "Da Pacem" by Arvo Pärt
 

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....RuL._SS500.jpg
Next up. Discuss and review here.

Which recording of the composition are we reviewing? That can make a huge difference.

The thread title is misspelled FYI

It’s a specific compilation titled Da Pacem.

and btw I figure I’ll join in on this if nobody minds. This comp has been sitting in my listening list for a while.

.

Da Pacem - Arvo Part


This is one of the first things I actually have liked from the album club.

This is amazing background music, but that's pretty much all I think it would be good for.

I'm kinda iffy about giving this four stars, but hey, I'll go with it.

Four stars.

.

Dammit. Frownland, would you? Thanks.
Is it Da Pacem Domine? That's the only one I can find on Spot. If not, can someone link me please?
Sure, welcome along.

lol

This album just seems too good for three and a half stars, hence the four.

I think the full title is Arvo Pärt: Da Pacem with Arvo Pärt listed as artist as well.

Thanks, Frownman! :thumb:

Thanks. Got it now.

.

I'm not sure, but I don't think accents and things can be put into a thread title?

It is on Spotify and it is the one with the cover art displayed thoughtfully by Mord.

When I made the pick I didn't realize it's a compilation so thanks for pointing that out Debaser.

If I had examined it closer I probably wouldn't have chosen a compilation but in this case it's probably fine to showcase different eras from the composer. If it's all you ever listen to at least you'll get some kind of overview. In general, I think compilations are bad form for this club but whatevs. We're under way! I've listened to it a couple times on Spotify but I never read up on it. I think I remember this composer being discussed on MB before. I may have even discovered him here. Obviously, I'm not any sort of expert on this music myself. Thanks people!

.

It’s technically still misspelled since there’s an ‘a’ where there should be ‘ä’.
/pedantry

edit: for some reason I missed the thread going on to the second page. Oops

.

[Disclaimer] Please permit me to preface with an apology for missing out on last week's featured LP. (A Waits record, no less!) My girlfriend was in the country to visit me and we rebuilt my server together so I was duly unavailable.

But on to this week's epically beautiful record!

Da Pacem has got to be my favorite release on the Harmonia Mundi label. I was first introduced to their catalog via the 20-volume Century series which explores the history of song from the ancient world to the present. I was delighted to find Pärt's Da Pacem on the label knowing that the production quality and musicianship would be top notch, and I was not disappointed. (The recording was issued in SACD format in Germany but only as a standard compact disc stateside.)

The recording is a fantastic specimen of minimalism, of choral music, sacred music, or simply as a demo disc for lossless / SACD demonstrations. To the best of my understanding, this is Pärt's most critically-acclaimed composition, and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir recording is lauded as the finest version available.

The music might be described as glacial in many respects. It is slow but its stillness is captivating. It is grand in scale but immensely humble. Its rootless melodic quality creates an ethereal listening experience. It is at once cerebrally meditative yet emotionally striking.

Da Pacem is easily one of my favorite choral works. It is an absolute delight to review as part of the Album Club.

10/10

Nice!!! Unfortunately, I've been stuck doing a lot of solo work on my "server" recently.

Nice that someone with some background knowledge is here to educate on my pick as well. You know your ****, dude, that's for damn sure.

Your boy Waits got SLAMMED last week, btw, heehee.

.

Thanks! Cheers for the stellar selection.

Thanks for asking. We're keeping things fairly quiet for now, but when I can share details I will.

I definitely want to know everything she did for your server.

My balls hurt. Frown?

My cats' trays need to be cleaned out. Frown?

Sorry y'all. He's busy sucking my dick right now.

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir/Paul Hillier - Da Pacem (by Arvo Part)

About as good an interepretation of Arvo Part's work as I've heard over the years, the effect of which comes off as more peaceful / minimalist than some of the other spins I've run across. My favorite aspect of the recording is how the organist is there across pretty much every piece regardless of what movement is happening, very rarely showcased but serving as the foundation for every magnificent surge of choral brilliance. The chords all connect together in a vary natural yet understated fashion, so you could call it an observation of Landini cadence in a traditional setting. Or as we say in South - "that's purdy".

In regards to personal preference, I'm more a Third Stream / ambient jazz kind of guy. But you'd have to have serious issues to rate this thing as anything less than an 8.

Frown?

10 out of 10

Yeah, nothing more to add that hasn't already been said. Very relaxing, immersive music, very grand and sweeping and majestic. Kind of made me feel I was at a mass. Is this a mass? Stirring stuff anyway, and very enjoyable.

9/10

.

Hmm. Certainly put me in mind of one. Maybe it was all the deep, sonorous organ work.

.

In case anyone can't find it, this is the Spotify link for the album: https://open.spotify.com/album/58r3ejz6GxgFszg49ZxuKp
Weirdly, it appears twice in the artist discography, completely identical. Must obviously be a mistake.

You forget, I'm a filthy apostate. Apparently.

The Album Club: "Da Pacem" by Arvo Pärt
It's pretty, of course, but I can't help but feel pretty bored here. Some of the songs interest me more than most of them do, but it honestly feels like the same choral dynamic repeated across a whole album with very little variation. Religious music like this was never really intended to be actively involving anyway as such. I guess it's supposed to inspire feelings of connection with God or something. It's very pretty, it really is, but it also bores me. Too much of the same thing and I didn't find most of the psalms to be all that memorable.
The most melodically active and therefore most interesting psalm was Psalm 117. Of course just my personal reaction.

5/10 - fine, I guess, but I won't return to it.

EDIT: It's also a cultural thing, probably. If you grew up with this, you're going to have more of a connection with these psalms than I do. I prefer Danish psalms, since I grew up with them and feel that they are part of my cultural background in some way that matters, even though I'm an atheist.

Once again MicShazam ruins the vote! :laughing:

Everyone else here seems to be more into stoned church music than I expected. I feel bad pissing all over something so old and culturally important, but if I'm not feeling engaged by it, that's how it is. Sorry to commit blasphemy on every nearly unanimously liked album. I swear I'm not being a contrarian on purpose.

You're good. Just keep doing you.

Yeah. The last thing we want is
https://www.memecreator.org/static/i...es/4561726.jpg

.

I prefer Son of Psalm personally.

Psalm people have can't resist a pun.

.