The evening presents a sacred performance divided into three parts, constructed entirely around the vocal works of Arvo Pärt and three electronic interventions by Robert Lippok. The structure follows a liturgical order: each section presents a specific thematic core, to which Lippok responds with an electronic resonance conceived as an extension of the acoustic space. Ars Discantica creates brief vocal transitions between the pieces, maintaining the continuity of the liturgical flow.

Part One – Penitential Act and Psalms

The first section opens with several Psalms set to music by the Estonian composer, including Zwei slawische Psalmen (Psalms 116 and 130)—two pieces that alternate between supplication and trust—and finishes with Cantate Domino, a more luminous work.

This opening part is constructed as an entry into the celebration: brief texts, clear forms, and a direct relationship between word and resonance.
At its conclusion, Robert Lippok offers a fifteen-minute electronic interlude, conceived not as a commentary, but as an expansion of the sonic space left by the choir.

Part Two
At the center is the Missa syllabica, one of the works marking Pärt’s tintinnabuli breakthrough. The syllabic writing, the reduction of means, the clarity of the vocal lines, and the traditional liturgical structure make this Mass a direct example of his new language. The a cappella performance highlights the relationship between the voices and the essential harmonic construction.
Here too, the Mass is followed by an electronic interlude by Lippok, who works on the suspension left by the choir, prolonging its resonance in a non-narrative form.

Part Three – Christological Texts
The third section gathers three works connected to the figure of Christ and to the dimension of song and invocation of the Son of God: Which Was the Son of…, a meditation on the genealogy of Jesus that, tracing backward from Joseph, reaches its true origin—son of Adam and Son of God, based on the text from the Gospel of Luke; the short piece Morning Star, evoking the Christian community singing to Jesus as the morning star that illuminates humankind and the world; and Da pacem Domine, a very ancient Latin liturgical antiphon built from a biblical verse from the Book of Sirach: Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris, quia non est alius qui pugnet pro nobis nisi tu Deus noster (“Grant peace, Lord, in our days, for there is no other who fights for us except You, our God”). This is the most directly Christological part of the program, with a movement that progresses from memory to supplication.
A third, shorter electronic interlude follows, preparing the conclusion.

Conclusion – Book of Revelation
The sacred performance closes with And I heard a voice… (2017). The piece sets to music a verse from Chapter 14 of the Book of Revelation, where a voice “from above” announces the blessedness of the righteous. The text speaks of fulfillment, of judgment as revelation. Pärt’s writing is essential: vocal lines that move slowly, minimal intervals, and a use of resonance that allows the text to emerge without overloading it. The atmosphere is not dramatic, but suspended: a listening directed toward what comes “after,” toward what is not yet visible. At the end, a phrase returns multiple times, always with the same calmness, like a breath that widens: “they rest from their labors” (which in Pärt’s Estonian version appears as nad hingavad oma vaevadest – “they breathe / take relief from their suffering”).
In this final section, all musicians are present: the vocal ensemble, Ars Discantica, and Robert Lippok.