ARVO PART - In Principio

Long the indie-rocker's gateway drug to classical music, minimalist Estonian composer Part specializes in the sort of sombre, contemplative and relatively linear music that fans of Mogwai and Godspeed instantly understand. In particular, the highly influential trio of "Fratres", "Spiegel Im Spiegel" and "Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten" have seen him held in the kind of high regard that finds him equally respected amongst jazz, post-rock, and contemporary classical darlings like pianist Helene Grimaud, who has recorded his works on albums alongside those of Beethoven. In Principio is another excellent effort that is, on the whole, less heavy than 2005's meditation on mortality, Lamentate. Of course, In Principio means "In the beginning...", so don't expect lollipops. Using the first verses of the Gospel of John as its template, this piece for choir and orchestra is classic Part: measured, graceful, and tinged with sadness and understanding. Other highlights here include the tensely ascending/descending "La Sindone", and a reprise of "Da pacem Domine", a piece performed annually in tribute to the victims of the 2004 Madrid bombings.