1 | Alexander Knaifel | Утешителю / O Comforter | 4:05 |
2 | Erkki-Sven Tüür | Salve Regina / Hail, Holy Queen | 7:08 |
3 | Alexander Knaifel | Душе истины / O Spirit of Truth | 7:11 |
4 | Peeter Vähi | In Memoriam HM | 4:42 |
5 | Arvo Pärt | Palgest palgesse / Face to Face | 3:45 |
6 | Valentyn Sylvestrov | Икона / Icon | 5:15 |
7 | Alexander Knaifel | Царю Небесный / O Heavenly King | 4:00 |
8 | Valentyn Sylvestrov | Колыбельная / Lullaby | 6:45 |
9 | Valentyn Sylvestrov | Баркарола / Barcarolle | 3:37 |
10 | Valentyn Sylvestrov | Колыбельная / Lullaby | 2:15 |
11 | Giya Kancheli | Helesa | 9:18 |
Comforter, fragment, 2 min 22 sec, mp3
In Memoriam HM, fragment, 2 min 37 sec, mp3
Helesa, fragment, 2 min 34 sec, mp3
Ensemble Hortus Musicus:
Andres Mustonen – violin, artistic director
Joosep Vahermägi – tenor
Jaan Arder – tenor / baritone
Riho Ridbeck – bass, percussion
Olev Ainomäe – bombardone, shawm, recorders
Tõnis Kuurme – dulcian, recorders
Valter Jürgenson – trombones
Peeter Klaas – viola da gamba
Imre Eenma – violone
Ivo Sillamaa – positive organ, piano
Guests:
Helen Lokuta – mezzo soprano (# 5)
Toomas Vavilov – clarinet (# 5)
Booklet in Estonian, English and German
Recorded at Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn
In co-operation with Estonian Public Broadcasting
Engineered by Tanel Klesment
Liner notes by Inna Kivi
Translated by Tiina Jokinen
Photos by Peeter Vähi
Designed by Mart Kivisild
Recording producer – Peeter Vähi
Stereo, DDD
℗ ERR / © 2011 ERP
ERP 4611
Most of the works on this CD have been composed in 2005 and are dedicated to the memory of the late Helle Mustonen, founding member and soprano of Hortus Musicus and the wife of Andres Mustonen. All the works were premiered at her memorial concert in the Dome Church of Tallinn, on Oct 2nd, 2005. The music, as if born from silence, takes the listener back to the beginning of the friendship between the composers and performers in their youth which fell into the era of the Soviet regime where mutual support and the feeling of togetherness carried them through the tough fight between power and intellect, by now culminating in the mental unity in order to support those who have been confronted with the most difficult moment in life. This feeling of unity is so strong, to the extent that the works of six entirely different authors on this CD leave an impression of being six movements of one composition as a whole. This is music dwelling on the two poles of existence – life and death, earthly and heavenly – bringing its silent prayers to the altar of the Almighty. However, taking into account the peculiarity of the record, let’s give the word to the authors of this CD – the ingenious is often very simple and can be summarized in a couple of words or quite the contrary, inexplicable.
Arvo Pärt: Like improving the world begins from within millimetre by millimetre, the Mediaeval music teaches us from the Gregorian chant and troubadours to Dufay, Josquin and Schubert, the meaning of a millimetre on a sheet of music, what a weapon it can be if measured correctly. This need not only be the school of composition, but a school of sculpting the soul.
Giya Kancheli: Out of respect to the Georgian vocal lore, I have never in my music quoted elements from the creation of the ingenious authors – the Great Anonymus. This is the only time where I am using the title of a song and that for a simple reason: Helesa is the name of a folk song and Helle was the name of a remarkable woman and companion in life of a dear person to me – Andres Mustonen.
Erkki-Sven Tüür: Salve Regina has been composed in memory of Helle Mustonen. The structure of vocal lines reminds of the one in Gregorian chants, though no direct quotes have been used. The instrumental part twines around the song in the form of different sound spaces. Hortus Musicus has for a long time been inspiring me, already as early as 1982 I composed for them Rituals where the Early Music instruments were intertwining with the sounds of a synthesizer. In the 90s, I composed an extensive work Psalmoodia for Hortus. Salve Regina is the newest work in the list of this long period of my composing.
Peeter Vähi: One autumn day Andres Mustonen informed me about the planned concert and about the fact that already 5 authors have composed or are composing works for it and he would welcome also my new composition among others. With regrets I was declining such an honorable offer, the reason being, that there was only a little more than a month left before the concert and I was currently working on two commissions, the contracted deadlines of which were frighteningly close. A couple of hours passed and I felt as if music from the Above was entering me – this is In Memoriam HM. Being a relatively slow-working composer, the following went on at a record speed – by the next morning, the printed score was in the rehearsal room of Hortus Musicus.
Andres Mustonen: All the sounds, all the melodies, consoling and embellishing our soul and spirit, are from the Creator who offers them to us through the composers. They elevate us and bring us closer to the eternal Beauty.
Sound engineer Tanel Klesment: The beginning of the recording process was a complete enigma to me. At places, Andres Mustonen seeked to achieve supreme pianissimo. The bows hardly touched the strings, the tone was on the verge of breaking and totally lacked the usual vibrato. All that reminded more of the play of a complete beginner than a top-professional. After several tries and experiments with the repositioning of microphones and after the recorded parts of music had fallen in their right places in the bigger context, the “beginner’s” play turned out to be miraculous. At times, it is unbelievable that, for example, the divine sound of Knaifel’s work, is achieved by acoustic instruments.
Salve Regina
Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae.
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exules filii Hevae.
Ad te Suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eja ergo, Advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tiu, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Face to Face (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Теперь мы видим как бы сквозь тусклое стекло,
гадательно, тогда же лицем к лицу;
теперь знаю я отчасти, а тогда познаю подобно как я познан.
We see now through a glass in a manner;
But then face to face.
Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.
Царю Небесный / O Heavenly King
Царю Небесный, Утешителю, Душе истины,
Иже везде сый и вся исполняяй.
Cокровище благих и жизни Подателю,
прииди и вселися в ны, и очисти ны от всякия скверны,
и спаси, Блаже души наша.
O Heavenly King, O Comforter, Spirit of Truth,
who art everywhere present and filles all things.
Treasury of Good things and Giver of life,
come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all impurity,
and save our souls, O Good One.
Helesa
Nana, Nana, Nana, Alleluia
Nanina,Nanina, Alleluia
Odoia, Odoia, Odoia
Elesa, Elesa, Elesa, Elesa, Hei
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Worldwide digital distribution by Note 1 Music (Carl-Benz-Straße 1, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany, phone +49 6221 720351, fax +49 6221 720381, info@note-1.de, www.note-1.de)
Distribution in North America by Naxos USA
Distribution in Estonia by Easy-Living Music, Muusikapood, phone +372 51 06058, ain@muusikapood.ee
Other recordings of Hortus Musicus: Gregorianische Choräle – Plainchants, Maypole, 1200–1600 Medieval-Renaissance, Vuestros Amores He Señora, Telemann. Quartets, 2000 Years After The Birth Of Christ, To His Highness Salvador D, Ave…, Jerusalem, canto:), Messe de… Carmina Burana