Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten (1977) for string orchestra and bell

Pärt: Cantus in memory of Britten is an excellent example of the influence the Medieval music has had on Pärt - however tacitly. There are no particular Medieval melodic or harmonic structures. Instead, the historical references are achieved in different ways. The whole piece is a double canon. A wonderful event in this piece occurs during the final bar when the bell is struck inaudibly and then resonates after the strings have stopped playing as if it were sounding from nowhere. With Juho Vartiainen, bell. Music used in the film 'Winter Sleepers'.
CD Compact: outstanding.