Reviewed by Simon Carpenter

An interesting selection of music, instrumental and choral, by one of the most distinctive of contemporary composers. This is a compilation album, but all but one of the eight tracks feature either the Bournemouth Sinfonietta or the choir of King's College Cambridge in some excellent performances. Born in Estonia in 1935, Part initially established himself as a serialist composer. Since 1976, however, he has developed his own style, "tintinnabuli" - so called because it is based on the three notes of a triad which when played sounds like bells. His music has an intense and austere beauty about it and he makes good use of contrasting sounds, whether low voices and high voices in the "Magnificat" or percussion and voices in "De Profundis". Good music and excellent interpretations, but the sort of stuff best listened to when going through an emotional crisis, not when you're feeling good about yourself!

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