Par PART ARVO. Arvo Pärt received a commission to compose this work from the Agenzia Romana per la preparazione del Giubileo, that was, the body responsible for the organisation of the Holy Year 2000 in Rome. Pärt was asked to write a work to be performed by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Pärt was inspired by the story of the martyrdom of Saint Cecilia and he embarked on a search for a suitable text in 1999. He eventually found one in Latin at the seminary in the Austrian city of Graz: it is the Breviarium Romanum (S. Ceciliae Virg. et Mart. , Lectio iii for 22 November) which contains a concise description of the saint's life. An old translation ofthe text into Italian has been located in the library of the Monastero di Bose in Northern Italy. The world premiere of Cecilia, vergina romana took place in Rome on 19 November, that is, three days before the Saint Cecilia feast on 22nd (repeat performances on 20 and 21 November). Arvo Pärt has dedicated the work to the conductor, Myung-Whun Chung as well as the Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia./ Répertoire / Choeur SATB et Orchestre

Par PART ARVO. Following an initiative by Princess Caroline of Monaco/Hannover to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the reign of his Highness, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, composer Arvo Pärt was commissioned to compose a work for choir and orchestra. The finished work, Cantique des degrés, received its premiere on 19 November 1999 during a special service in the Cathedral of Monte-Carlo in the presence of the royal family. It was performed by the Orchestre Philharmonique and the opera choir, both of Monte-Carlo, and conducted by Estonian conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. Cantique des degrés is based on Psalm 121 - Je lève mes yeux vers la montagne - and sung in Latin. Pärt's settingcomprises eight sung verses of the psalm that lead to a final, hymn-like instrumental coda. The tonalities of the composition progress regularly, ascending stepwise from verse to verse (cantique des degrés); but despite this episodic character, the overall mood of the sequences remains consistent. In this way, the two contrasting basic elements of the piece - dynamic motion and balanced repose - are united creating a harmonious whole./ Répertoire / Choeurs SATB et Orchestre

Par PART ARVO. Arvo Pärt wrote the prayer of peace 'Da pacem Domine' to fulfil a commission from Jordi Savall. He began to set this ninth-century Gregorian antiphon two days after the Madrid bombings on 11 March 2004 as his personal tribute to the victims. Since then Da pacem Domine has been performed every year in Spain to commemorate the victims of this terrorist attack. Even while originally composing this four-voice piece, Pärt made allowances for variable scorings. As a result, it exists in several versions, not only for voice but also entirely for instruments. Wolfgang Sandner Da pacem Domine in diebus nostris quia non est alius qui pugnet pro nobis nisi tu Deus noster. Give peace, O Lord, in our time because there is no one else who will fight for us if not You, our God./ Répertoire / Choeur SATB et Orchestre