If Pärt has used Tractus as a vehicle for reworking and finding new contexts for his own earlier works, not only has he earned the right to so but in the process brought a new life and often dramatic context in which to express them.
ECM New Series 2800 / 485 9167 (2-LP vinyl edition)
Maria Listra (soprano); Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra Conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste
Recorded September 2022, Methodist Church, Tallinn
Tractus was first released on CD in November 2023 with the indication that the vinyl edition would follow soon after. The reality has been somewhat different and as coincidence would have it, now sees the light of day in the year that the composer will celebrate his 90th birthday.
Having lived with the music for some time and having reviewed the CD release at the time for Jazz Views (and you can read the review by clicking here) you may well wonder if it is now worth investing in the 2-LP set now it is finally available.
After spending a week or more with the vinyl edition, I must confess to finding it a most rewarding experience and casting a new light on the music that had escaped me before. Whilst initially there seemed little to add to my original review, the format meant that the way in which I was listening to the music was different.
The single CD originally released had a running time of 1 hour and 7 minutes, and having an hour plus to listen in one sitting was not always possible, and when attempted the convenience of the medium means that the pause button is never far away and interruptions easily negotiated without missing a beat (just marginally delayed).
Listening on vinyl allows no such luxury and time must be set aside to listen to at least one whole side at time. Being unable to pause the music as it is playing, I find focusses the mind as one does not want to miss anything for fear of interrupting the flow of the music (and of course being unable to rewind). The concentrated listening that each side of the album demands, presented in smaller segments, therefore guarantees a closer listening experience and when the side has finished time to pause and reflect upon what one has heard without the music ploughing on regardless of whether we are ready to hear more.
As one has come to expect from ECM the album is beautifully packaged with the extensive liner notes in an accompanying booklet that is much easier on the eye than the smaller booklet in the CD, and the way the music is presented in four (albeit unequal) sides of music has made for pleasurable listening.
Once again, the beautiful music that Pärt has composed and re-imagined for Tractus is thrown into sharp focus. The wonderful melodies and the blending of mixed choir and orchestra heard on ‘Littlemore Tractus’ and ‘Cantique des degrés’ is incredible moving, with the latter dramatic writing for both strings and brass.
‘L’abbé Agathon’ written for soprano voice and string orchestra takes up all of side three, and with Maria Listra as the soprano voice this is another deeply moving composition based on an older traditional piece that the composer has successfully adapted in his own inimitable style.
If Pärt has used Tractus as a vehicle for reworking and finding new contexts for his own earlier works, not only has he earned the right to so but in the process brought a new life and often dramatic context in which to express them.
