Pro Coro sings Good Friday Passio

The annual Good Friday concert by Pro Coro Canada under Michael Zaugg offers proof that some of our greatest church music is written in contemporary times.

It is not simply bygone masters that have captured the spirit of the Good Friday passion and composed the divine.

In celebration of the Easter season, Zaugg selected living Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Passio. This interpretation of the Passion of Christ as recounted in chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel of John is considered a contemporary masterwork.

The full contingent of Pro Coro Canada performs Passio on Friday, April 14 at the Winspear Centre.

A classical composer whose works are most frequently performed today, Pärt’s appeals to the divine behind its bare bones composition. As a minimalist, his work is starkly economical, even borrowing medieval chants.

Its pristine form employs voices in unison, little harmony and no precisely measured rhythms unlike older classical works that use a more ornate approach.

“The music is really quiet, very sparse and it creates a mood. It creates a place to retreat with a meditative aspect. You listen to the story, but are not distracted by dissonance. You go back to the original story, but are not distracted by loud noises,” said Zaugg.

To create the starkness, Pärt uses a scant three to five notes throughout the entire 75-minute composition.

“But what he does is so creative. He brings back the elements to the story.”

Zaugg explained that some years back, Pärt suffered a crisis in his composition and retreated into the classical canon’s early works, more specifically the Gregorian chants.

“Out of that came his simple style.”

But if you only have three notes to sing in one hour, how do you shape the notes to have different experiences, noted Zaugg of the challenges facing the choir.

The use of soloists from within the choir infuses the composition with clarity and depth. David McCune portrays Christ while Oliver Munar represents Pilate.

Unlike other Passions using the same text, four singers stand in for The Evangelist John. They include Dawn Bailey, Adrienne Sitko, Caleb Nelson and St. Albert’s Michael Kurschat.

“Through that you can tell more story using four voices and often they sound like one expression. It still gives variety of storytelling, but gives a lot more tone and colour.”

Accompanying the choir is violinist Laura Veeze, cellist Rafael Hoekman, oboist Dan Waldron, bassoonist Pablo Montes and organist Jeremy Spurgeon.

“The Passio has a deep, mystical quality. By listening to it, you can find deep spirituality in this piece. The music is so sparse and the story is in the foreground. You really can listen to it as a mystic or a humanist. It gives you freedom to find your own story.”