Music Monday - Arvo Part - Te Deum

I know that my Music Monday recommendations have historically been quite diverse, thus in keeping with that theme today I am going to dive into the world of Classical music. As a child I played quite of bit of classical music from my piano lessons, but I have to be honest and say that as I have grown older it has not exactly been my first choice when going to the CD rack or opening up my iTunes. In all actuality I don't own that much of it. That all may change after listening to this CD.

Arvo Part is an Estonian composer that shuns the more abstract forms of 20th century classical music in favor of more of a medieval sound. This record features the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallin Chamber Orchestra.

The music of Arvo Part: Te Deum exudes a dark and melancholy richness that I naturally gravitate toward. It has a beauty to it in melodic form and structure that is hauntingly moving and deep. You won't be disappointed if that at all sounds appealing to you. If you are new to classical music this would be a great place to start.

Here are some comments from Amazon.com:

Though these pieces are typical of Pärt's style, they seem less bleak than those on previous discs. The Te Deum, while often in a minor tonality and sometimes imposing, has a suitable extroverted quality; the Magnificat, with its hushed intensity, does seem solemn, but its cadences are striking, typically resolving from a tonal chord to a shimmering major-second dissonance. The Berliner Messe includes not only the Mass ordinary, but also three propers for Pentecost, and displays a range of moods from nervous penitence in the Kyrie to lively good cheer in the Credo to serenity in the Agnus Dei. Best is the sequence "Veni sancte spiritus," sung largely in unison to a haunting 6/8 melody. Tiny Estonia, Pärt's homeland, has provided him with some impressive interpreters.