Quieting the Body’s Stress Response: The Magic of Arvo Pärt

Arvo Pärt’s Fratres has to be one of my all-time favorite violin pieces, but I am only passingly familiar with his other works. As a fan of choral music, polyphonic chant, and sacred Baroque and Classical works, I was delighted to discover this vocal concert that makes for an ideal entry into the Estonian composer’s unique musical landscape. 

2025 marks minimalist composer Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday. In May, we celebrated the occasion with this birthday tribute concert dedicated to his outstanding career and beautiful music. Led by Tõnu Kaljuste, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir performs a selection of his sacred works at Prague’s Dvořák Hall. I would highly recommend this program to anyone in need of a moment of relaxation, a brief respite from the stress of everyday life. In my experience, certain sonic frequencies have a powerful, seemingly physiological ability to quiet the body’s stress response, and the “Sanctus” from Pärt’s Berliner Messe is an especially striking example. Much of Pärt’s music — especially for voice — is harmonically satisfying and easy to listen to, which makes it a good entry point for those who might think that contemporary classical music is dissonant or difficult to understand.

For me, there’s something magical in the interplay of harmony and nuance of sacred and polyphonic music that fills the sound with an emotional quality beyond the simple meaning of the words. The Magnificat is particularly impressive for this: the first bars are sung softly before a transcendent crescendo at 0:50 lifts us up into an otherworldly dimension. In The Deer’s Cry, the audible short breaths in the male voice part and high-pitched animal call in the female part paint a striking visual image. Before the music dies away, the hypnotic, unwavering vocal lines depict the final laments of the animal, deer or doe, at the crossroads between this life and whatever lies beyond.

Like Fratres, Arvo Pärt’s sacred works contain the same captivating tapestries of colors, nuances, and emotions that speak to deeper aspects of our humanity. This stunning program made me want to discover even more of Pärt’s music, and I hope it will do the same for you!