A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to Choral Evensong at Bath Abbey on Radio 3 in which the choir sung Arvo Pärt’s The Beatitudes.
I’ve only ever sung this once when I was a Lay Clerk in an Anglican church, and while it is a simple piece rythmically, it’s incredibly tricky to keep the tuning. Rather than go on and on about it, here’s a decent version on YouTube:
I would love to see the Beatitudes done in a classic Anglican Chant setting as well as in Gregorian Chant in Latin. Valaam Monastery has that incredible version in Orthodox chant and as of yet, I have not found its equal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D1bzmGPlyw
The pictures chosen with the chant really add to its impact.