Alexander Knaifel’s *Chapter Eight*, for cathedral, choirs and cello: a work ‘without plot or drama’
This performance of Knaifel’s *Chapter Eight* was recorded back in 2009, but was only released last month (March 2025) on ECM New Series. The recording took place in the Jesuit Church in Lucerne, a church also known for its acoustics. That resonance, along with the sound of the three choirs and the cellist, is an essential part of the composition.
Alexander Knaifel (1943 – 22024) was originally trained as a cellist, but soon turned to composition. His work is related to that of contemporaries such as Schnittke, Gubaidulina, Silvestrov, and Pärt. Like Pärt, Knaifel left behind avant-gardism in the 1990s and began focusing on restrained, introspective, and often religious compositions. The timeless serenity of *Chapter Eight*—”a work without plot or drama, like a communal prayer”—will certainly appeal to fans of Arvo Pärt’s music.
The text of *Chapter Eight* is based on the eighth chapter of the Song of Songs from the Old Testament (the Song of Solomon). Alongside the three choirs (the Latvian State Choir, the youth choir Kamēr, and the Riga Cathedral Boys’ Choir), you hear Patrick Demenga on cello. And, of course, the church itself.
Chapter Eight
Canticum Canticorum
for cathedral, choirs and Cello
Stanza I – XXXII
Patrick Demenga – cello
State Choir Latvija
Riga Cathedral Boys Choir
Youth Choir Kamēr
Andres Mustonen – dirigent
ECM New Series
ECM 2637
Note: the cd-version is slightly edited to fit the program length
