Summa

Summa serves as a comprehensive gateway into Arvo Pärt's mature 'tintinnabuli' period, while also showcasing his earlier transition from serialism. The album includes the pivotal 'Collage sur BACH', which uses baroque structures as a canvas for modernist intervention, creating a fascinating tension between order and chaos. However, the heart of the record lies in his most celebrated minimalist works: 'Fratres', 'Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten', and the monumental 'Tabula rasa'. These pieces defined the 'Holy Minimalism' movement, rejecting the complexity of the 20th-century avant-garde in favor of a spiritual, triadic purity. The recording captures the immense dynamic range required for these works, from the piercing intensity of the strings in 'Festina lente' to the nearly inaudible, ghostly piano notes that conclude 'Silentium'. It remains a cornerstone of contemporary classical music, bridging the gap between sacred tradition and modern existentialism.