Cyrillus Kreek: The Suspended Harp of Babel

Estonia has a number of contemporary composers who have made an art out of sacred choral music and written for the country's excellent choirs. Foremost among them are Arvo Part, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Veljo Tormis. Cyrillus Kreek (1889-1962), a new name to me, is a composer of the previous generation to Part; he was a contemporary of Part's teacher Heino Eller and both studied at the St Petersburg Conservatoire before World War I.

At the time Estonia first achieved independence (in 1918), Kreek had an interest in the folk music of his country and was the first collector in Estonia to use a phonograph as Bartók did. He was particularly interested in folk hymns – both protestant and orthodox – and made choral arrangements of them, which is what we have here. The occasional addition of bowed nyckelharpa and kannel (zither) enhance the connection to the folk sources, although the music is transformed into sonorous choral hymns. For instance, ‘Whilst Great is Our Poverty’ starts with the kannel gently intoning the melody over a nyckelharpa drone before the choir take up the tune with austere and occasionally surprising harmonies. Beautifully performed by Vox Clamantis, who are conducted by Jaan-Eik Tulve.