Arvo Pärt: Symphony No. 4 ("Los Angeles," 2008)

"[T]he Los Angeles Philharmonic and its former music director, Esa-Pekka Salonen … gave the premiere in 2009. Now they offer an eloquent performance of the somber Fourth. … Though his first three symphonies are written for full orchestra, the Fourth uses only strings, harp and percussion. It is an example of what Mr. Pärt calls tintinnabulation, a slow, introspective style, with the strings playing in a high register, that often evokes the pealing of bells. The solemn, shimmering haze of string chords and delicate chimes that opens the symphony reappears throughout the three movements. The serenity, meditative moods and glacial pace of most of the first two movements are replaced by a seething tension in the finale, 'Deciso,' in which anxiety underpins the rhythmically intense conclusion. … The disc also includes fragments from the hauntingly beautiful 'Kanon Pokajanen' (1997), an a cappella choral piece set to an Eastern Orthodox text" (Vivien Schweitzer, "CD Review," New York Times, 10/10/10).

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