Pärdi päevade põhijooni
16.09.22, sirp.ee
Read the full review here
Tallinna Jaani kirikusse oli põhjust naasta 6. septembril, mil tuntud vokaalansambel Theatre of Voices tõi Paul Hillieri juhatusel kuulajateni ereda kava „Linnud ja mesilased“. Siin oli Arvo Pärdi muusika roll minimaalne: kõlas vaid „Da pacem Domine“, mis sobitub tema kooriteostest renessansiajastule keskenduvasse tervikusse muidugi nagu valatult. Lühikeses teoses on kerge tajuda cantus firmus’e hõngu ja kuulda kaugele ajastule omaseid kadentse. Kava avas hilisrenessansiaja inglise helilooja William Byrdi „Fantasia à 6“, mis mõjuski oma vokaliisitaolise olemusega otsekui instrumentaalne avamäng. Theatre of Voices esitas pala toreda tämbririkkusega, mis kuulutas sobivalt ette terve ülejäänud kontserdi kulu.
Küllusliku kava põhijoon oligi nimelt kõlaline mitmekesisus: onomatopoeetilised efektid, pillide kõla imitatsioon, tänavasagina sumin, turueitede kädin segamini kerjuste karjetega, eri keeled, maise ja taevase mitmesugused kokkupuutepunktid ning kontrastid. Kogu kõlaküllusele andis omapoolse (tänuväärse?) panuse ka Tallinna pidurdamatu tänavamüra, mis vahel hellalt vaibus, et pakkuda soleerimiseks võimalus mõnele kiirendavale mootorrattale, ikka molto crescendo!
Lauljate sekstett võlus kohati peaaegu täiskoori resonantsiga, täites suure kiriku oma mitmekesise kõla ja avarusega. Mitmekesisuse all pean silmas seda, et lauljate toonis kostis sageli mingit meeldivat individuaalsust, mida vahel püütakse kooslaulu esteetikat lihvides liialt taandada ja ühtlustada. Selle tulemusena võib areneda peaaegu pillilik puhtus, mis eriti põhjamaises kooriesteetikas on väga armastatud, aga selle hind on see, et kujuneb lauljate salk, kes ei kasuta oma loodusliku „pilli“ täit varasalve. Theatre of Voices paistab olevat ere näide sellest, et ka kooslaulus on kehakal täiskõlal ja individuaalsetel värvidel oma koht, mida ka vanamuusikat esitades ei pea lõpmatuseni hillitsema.
There was a reason to return to St. John's Church in Tallinn on September 6, when the well-known vocal group Theater of Voices brought the audience a bright program "Birds and Bees" led by Paul Hillier. Here, the role of Arvo Pärt's music was minimal: only "Da pacem Domine" was played, which, of course, fits perfectly into the program of their choral works focusing on the Renaissance era. In the short work, it is easy to perceive the atmosphere of cantus firmus and hear cadences typical of a distant era. The program opened with "Fantasia à 6" by late Renaissance English composer William Byrd, which, with its vocal-like nature, acted like an instrumental overture. Theater of Voices performed the piece with a nice richness of timbre that aptly heralded the rest of the concert.
The main feature of the rich program was the sound diversity: onomatopoeic effects, imitation of the sound of instruments, the hum of the street bustle, the hand of market food mixed with the screams of beggars, different languages, various points of contact between the earthly and the heavenly, and contrasts. The unstoppable street noise of Tallinn also made its own (appreciable?) contribution to the whole sound, which sometimes gently subsided to provide an opportunity for some speeding motorcycles to solo, still molto crescendo!
The sextet of singers enchanted at times almost with the resonance of the full choir, filling the large church with its varied sound and spaciousness. By diversity, I mean that there was often a pleasant individuality in the tone of the singers, which is sometimes tried to reduce and harmonize too much when honing the aesthetics of the singing together. As a result, an almost instrument-like purity can develop, which is especially loved in Nordic choral aesthetics, but the price is that a group of singers will be formed who do not use the full resources of their natural "instrument". Theater of Voices seems to be a vivid example of the fact that even in group singing there is a place for full body sound and individual colors, which do not have to be endlessly muted when performing early music.