Helena Tulve - Arboles Lloran por Lluvia (2014) [Hi-Res]

Recorded by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and various soloists and ensembles in churches in Tallinn as well as the Estonian Concert Hall, the five compositions heard on Arboles lloran por lluvia (Trees cry for rain) give deeper insight into the unique sound-world of Estonian composer Helena Tulve, into music that is nourished by both contemporary and ancient currents. Tulve draws upon a wide-range of inspirational sources. She explores the raw fabric of sound and the nature of timbre in both analytical and instinctive ways, in compositions that are unmistakably her own, yet her work is inclusive - here incorporating aspects of Gregorian chant, melody from Yemenite Jewish tradition, and texts from Sufi, Sephardic and Christian mystic poetry. Reyah hadas 'ala (The Perfume of the Myrtle Rises) unites the ensemble of the Gregorian chant and the early music instruments. This is the only work in which Tulve has used a pre-existing melody, a song of the Yemenite Jews. Extinction des choses vues (The Extinction of the Things Seen) is an orchestral piece in which the musical ideas are derived from a text by the Jesuit thinker Michel de Certeau called Extase blanche (White Ecstasy). Strong performances by the soloists, above all by soprano (and harpist) Arianne Savall - featured on silences/larmes (silences/tears), L'Équinoxe de l'âme (The Equinox of the Soul) and the title composition - and the choral, chamber and orchestral forces marshalled by conductors Jan-Eik Tulve and Olari Elts make Helena Tulve's second ECM New Series recording a most impressive successor to the critically-acclaimed Lijnen (4766389, released in 2008). Personnel: Arianna Savall (soprano, triple harp), Taniel Kirikal (countertenor), Charles Barbier (countertenor), Riivo Kallasmaa (oboe), Marco Ambrosini (nyckelharpa), NYYD Quartet, Helena Tulve (glasses, wind chimes), Ensemble Vox Clamantis / Ensemble Hortus Musicus, Jaan-Eik Tulve (conductor), Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Olari Elts (conductor).