You might expect that Pärt"s meditative, detached style--with little distinction between consonance and dissonance or overt emotion--wouldn"t wear well through a 70-minute Passion in Latin without even a break between tracks. (There"s only one.) The roles are distinguished only by scoring: the Evangelist"s narration is taken by four singers and a few instruments in various combinations; Pilate is a deliberate tenor; Jesus, a cavernous bass singing very slowly. However, if you listen calmly and attentively, this work will transport you. When Jesus sings (slowly, on a simple five-note scale), "It is finished," and the Evangelist quartet intones on a single note, "And bowing his head he gave up the spirit," it"s heartbreaking. The choir"s huge crescendo through the final nine-word prayer is stunning. --Matthew Westphal