Paul Hillier and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s recording of Arvo Pärt’s “Da Pacem” (Harmonia Mundi) has won the Grammy award for Best Choral Performance at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
Led by Pärt’s longtime collaborator and biographer, Paul Hillier, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, along with organist Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, illuminate the very essence of Pärt’s “holy minimalism”. The collection shows the increasing nuance of Pärt’s triadic, bell-like tintinnabulation as the composer explores new colors and texture in pieces including the Magnificat, Salve Regina, Two Slavonic Psalms and the title track Da pacem Domine – a prayer for peace rendered with an astonishing stillness.