Photo Kaupo Kikkas
Album Release: …Lente
Concerto Copenhagen and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir reimagine Arvo Pärt’s Music.
Concerto Copenhagen and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir present …Lente, an unconventional interpretation of Arvo Pärt’s music. Taking an approach based in historical performance practice, this recording explores how Baroque instruments can bring a new dimension to Pärt’s minimalist and spiritual sound world.
“Arvo Pärt’s music calls to be performed on Baroque instruments—so that’s exactly what Concerto Copenhagen and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir have done.” – Nikolaj de Fine Licht, General Manager of Concerto Copenhagen.
A new dimension to Pärt’s music
Pärt’s compositions, widely performed on modern instruments, are renowned for their meditative simplicity and profound spirituality. However, Concerto Copenhagen believes that the timbres and natural resonance of Baroque instruments align instinctively with Pärt’s musical language.
“What we gained in this recording—with the lower pitch, gut strings, Baroque bows, and the natural absence of vibrato—seems to resemble the singing voice, breathing together with the singers.” – Nikolaj de Fine Licht, General Manager of Concerto Copenhagen.
By embracing silence, repetition, and purity of sound, this recording finds unexpected common ground between Pärt’s aesthetic and the early music movement, to which Concerto Copenhagen is deeply connected.
…Lente; making haste ever more slowly
At the heart of the album is a reimagined version of Stabat Mater, recorded in Baroque tuning and featuring a new orchestral interpretation.
“My wish was to record Stabat Mater in Baroque tuning and create a new interpretation where some movements are performed with soloists, others with the full choir and orchestra. Playing Pärt with a Baroque orchestra is an experiment, but it has led us to a sound that feels both new and deeply rooted in the music.” – Tõnu Kaljuste, Artistic Director & Chief Conductor.
Guided by Tõnu Kaljuste’s visionary approach, Concerto Copenhagen and EPCC redefine the sonic possibilities of Pärt’s compositions.
“Although we normally adhere to historical performance principles, in this case, we stepped away from them completely. The listener will have to judge whether our choice was the right one!”– Nikolaj de Fine Licht, General Manager of Concerto Copenhagen
Release Details
…Lente will be released on Berlin Classics on May 2, 2025, and will be available on CD and all major streaming platforms.
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC)
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) has become one of the most renowned Estonian music ensembles worldwide. With two Grammys and a prestigious Gramophone award, the choir has been invited to perform at numerous renowned festivals and concert venues around the world, such as the BBC Proms, Salzburg Mozart Week, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles Walt Disney Concert Hall, and others.
Read more about the choir here: www.epcc.ee
Concerto Copenhagen – music for our future heritage
For over thirty years, Concerto Copenhagen has embarked on a journey of discovery, exploring music from the Baroque, Viennese Classical, and Early Romantic periods with historical awareness and unwavering commitment. Today, Concerto Copenhagen stands as a leading light in its field, both nationally and internationally. Under the musical direction of Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Concerto Copenhagen combines a methodical approach to historical material with artistic originality and a continual evolution in performance style and delivery. This ensures that the music is brought to life in a process of dynamic renewal and remains relevant to contemporary audiences.
Since its inaugural concerts in 1991, Concerto Copenhagen has released multiple internationally acclaimed albums and participated in hundreds of concerts, opera productions, as well as soundtrack and video productions around the world. With a repertoire that combines more familiar European music with lesser-known works of Scandinavian origin and new music, the orchestra celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2021 and was subsequently nominated for P2 Artist of the Year 2022. In 2023 the orchestra received the great acknowledgement of being adopted on the Finance Act 2024.
Read more about the orchestra here: concertocopenhagen.dk12
Press contact: Sabrina Stender Solis /+45 22 62 29 09 / sabrina@coco.dk