Arvo Pärt : Music for Good Friday
apr. 10, 2015
Estonian Life No. 15 2015
Trinity-St. Paul´s United Church's April 3rd 'Music for Good Friday' (choir, piano, violin, and organ) featured motets by JS Bach, James MacMillan and Arvo Pärt. Pärt´s 'Tribute to Caesar' and 'The Woman with the Alabaster Box´, based on events in the Gospel of St. Matthew, following Christ´s entry into Jerusalem, featured the composer's oft-lauded elements of minimalism and meditation. With 'Fratres' (brotherhood), Arvo Pärt (80 in 2015) is quoted in the programme notes as saying that the frantic activity and stillness of the music describes '´how the instant and eternity are struggling within us.'´
Trinity-St. Paul's, home base for The Toronto Consort and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, has a well-established reputation as a prime performance space. With recent renovations to upgrade the stage and seating, it continues to play a significant role in Toronto, as part of the Culture Corridor that stretches west along Bloor Street, from the Bay/Yorkville area to The Annex. As of 2014, VEMU/The Estonian Studies Centre at Tartu College has been accepted as a Cultural Associate, joining the ranks of such institutions as the Royal Conservatory, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Japanese Foundation.
Merike Weiler
