Bogoróditse Djévo

Bogoróditse Djévo was completed in 1990 on commission by the King’s College Choir, Cambridge.  It premiered on Christmas Eve of the same year as part of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols performed by the choir, conducted by Stephen Cleobury.

The piece is based on a Church Slavonic text from the Orthodox Book of Prayers. The hymn to the Virgin Mary, used in the Orthodox tradition, differs by the Latin Ave Maria by a couple of nuances in the text. Also, Pärt’s short and concentrated musical prayer is dominated by vibrant joy instead of the usual lyrical mood.

The four and sometimes eight-part canticles of the composition, the phrases that seem to be half-spoken, and the full and joyful sonic value of the parallel chords, draw from the musical tr…

Bogoróditse Djévo was completed in 1990 on commission by the King’s College Choir, Cambridge.  It premiered on Christmas Eve of the same year as part of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols performed by the choir, conducted by Stephen Cleobury.

The piece is based on a Church Slavonic text from the Orthodox Book of Prayers. The hymn to the Virgin Mary, used in the Orthodox tradition, differs by the Latin Ave Maria by a couple of nuances in the text. Also, Pärt’s short and concentrated musical prayer is dominated by vibrant joy instead of the usual lyrical mood.

The four and sometimes eight-part canticles of the composition, the phrases that seem to be half-spoken, and the full and joyful sonic value of the parallel chords, draw from the musical traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church. In terms of duration, Bogoróditse Djévo is the shortest compositions in Arvo Pärt’s oeuvre: resembling a single shout of joy, this piece lasts for about a minute.