{"id":121817,"date":"2026-02-17T10:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=121817"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:39:55","slug":"scrutiny-estonian-philharmonic-chamber-choir-celebrates-arvo-part-90-grand-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/02\/17\/scrutiny-estonian-philharmonic-chamber-choir-celebrates-arvo-part-90-grand-style\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Celebrates Arvo P\u00e4rt At 90 In Grand Style"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Soundstreams
Soundstreams Presents the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir: Arvo P\u00e4rt at 90, February 14, 2026 (Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soundstreams: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir: Arvo P\u00e4rt at 90. Arvo P\u00e4rt \u2013 Magnificat; Which was the Son of; The Deer\u2019s Cry; Dopo la Vittoria; Kontakion, Ikos, Prayer After the Canon; Luciano Berio \u2013 Cries of London; Veljo Tormis \u2013 Piiskop ja pagan; Riho Esko Maimets \u2013 World premiere; Evelin Seppar \u2013 Iris; Philip Glass \u2013 Father Death Blues. Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, T\u00f5nu Kaljuste, Artistic Director. February 14, 2026, Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s choral lovers were all of one mind and heart on Valentine\u2019s Day, choosing to attend Soundstreams\u2019s Arvo P\u00e4rt at 90, featuring the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir<\/strong> (EPCC) led by T\u00f5nu Kaljuste<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A friend remarked that he had never seen Yorkminster Baptist Church so full. Even the available balconies were in use for seating.<\/p>\n

\"Soundstreams
Soundstreams Presents the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir: Arvo P\u00e4rt at 90, February 14, 2026 (Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Celebrating P\u00e4rt\u2019s 90th<\/h3>\n

This marked the eighth appearance of the EPCC with Soundstreams. The first half was devoted entirely to the revered Estonian composer. The selection of works spanned roughly two decades of his choral output, from the late 1980s to the late aughts.<\/p>\n

While not all the pieces represent his most popular works, the variety offered an engaging listening experience. The EPCC delivered a deeply assured and authoritative interpretation.<\/p>\n

The 24 singers maintained admirable balance, particularly in passages where P\u00e4rt writes at extremes of register, with very high and very low voices and little in between. The bass section, in particular, provided a remarkable foundation, providing body and resonance.<\/p>\n

The familiar Magnificat was perhaps the most recognisable work on the program. By contrast, Which Was the Son of\u2026 does not sound stereotypically P\u00e4rt. It is a piece driven by rhythmic declamation rather than suspended stillness. While musically interesting, it is rarely programmed, which I suspect, is due to the text, which simply recites the genealogy from the Gospel of Luke.<\/p>\n

The Deer\u2019s Cry was shaped with sensitivity, allowing the spaces between phrases to become as expressive as the sung lines. Dopo la vittoria revealed the joyful, almost playful side of P\u00e4rt. Its tintinnabuli textures ringing with bell-like clarity in the service of praise.<\/p>\n

The half concluded with the sixth ode (Kontakion, Ikos, Prayer after the Canon) from Kanon Pokajanen. Kontakion began with a sense of mystery. The final Amen of the prayer was exquisitely placed and controlled with intention.<\/p>\n

Across these works, the EPCC sang with drama to illuminate the liturgical texts, and with emotion to engage the spirit.<\/p>\n

\"Soundstreams
Soundstreams Presents the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir: Arvo P\u00e4rt at 90, February 14, 2026 (Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Contemplating Life<\/h3>\n

The second half was programmed with a stylistically varied music by other composers, and themes loosely based on the contemporary moment.<\/p>\n

In Veljo Tormis\u2019s Piiskop ja Pagan, the singers muffled their voices with their hands, a gesture that seemed more curious than meaningful. Similarly, in Luciano Berio\u2019s Cries of London, the use of a megaphone, intended to evoke a street market atmosphere, added little to the sonic experience.<\/p>\n

A highlight was the warmly received world premiere of Canadian-Estonian composer Riho Esko Maimets<\/strong>\u2019s Inglih\u00e4\u00e4l ja pasunad (Angel\u2019s Voice and Trumpets). More dissonant than the other works on the program, it nevertheless offered clear motivic gestures that guided the listener through the piece.<\/p>\n

The EPCC navigated its lines with assurance.<\/p>\n

The concert concluded with Father Death Blues by Philip Glass, arranged by Kaljuste, setting text by Allen Ginsberg. Here, the choir\u2019s rich sound evoked an almost American hymn-like atmosphere. Though the text deals with death, it offers comfort rather than despair, and the EPCC\u2019s sensitivity gave the closing work a luminous quality.<\/p>\n

Concertgoers certainly got their money\u2019s worth with an expansive program, further rewarded by two beautiful encores.<\/p>\n

Sneak Peak at the next Season<\/h3>\n

In a brief preview of what lies ahead, Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney noted Soundstreams\u2019s strong association with both P\u00e4rt and Steve Reich, who will also be celebrating his 90th birthday.<\/p>\n

Next season\u2019s Steve Reich at 90! suggests that the great pioneers of minimalism are now entering their nonagenarian era. It\u2019s another celebration not to be missed.<\/p>\n

By Albert Wong<\/a> for Ludwig-Van. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Toronto\u2019s choral lovers were all of one mind and heart on Valentine\u2019s Day, choosing to attend Soundstreams\u2019s Arvo P\u00e4rt at 90, featuring the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,11,19,38,52,63],"tags":[388,7384,3952,3079],"yst_prominent_words":[9287,9283,9288],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-REVIEW-2026-02-17T103755.974.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vGN","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121817"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121817"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121823,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121817\/revisions\/121823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121817"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=121817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}