M/S Estonia in Memoriam

Around 9.00 a.m. on Wednesday the 28th of September, 1994, the last survivors were saved from M/S Estonia, which had sunk in the middle of the night. Out of 989 passengers, only 137 survived. More than half were Swedish, almost 300 were Estonian, and there were Latvians, Finns, and people of nationalities from across the world. Three years later, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi had completed his choral piece Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae, “a meditation” as he describes the piece himself, but as such, very dramatic.

Three texts form the foundation of the piece: the Catholic funeral mass, the Book of Psalm’s hymn 107, and a news broadcast about the accident from Nuntii Latini, a programme that broadcasts world news in classical Latin on Finnish national radio. A soloist from the choir intones the news text against a thundering drone, a wordless melody that is reminiscent of an old sailor’s song, and with the requiem lyrics as the dirge: “May eternal light shine on them, Lord.” Fiery whispers mimic the murmur of the stormy sea, and of the communication radio of M/S Estonia that, 29 minutes past midnight, sent its final message. “Have mercy, Lord,” laments the choir.

The lyrics from the Book of Hymns take over with a restlessly billowing motif that follows most of the piece: “Others went on ships across the sea, and traded on the vast waters.” Sharp dissonances depict metal being torn and snapped, like the ship’s bow visor when it became an open, bleeding wound to the merciless sea. A rhythmical middle section like a Morse code SOS call: “They were thrown against the sky and the depths, courage failed them in danger.” In the end, everyone cries out their despair to God, who calms the sea again. But for the passengers of M/S Estonia, no safe port awaited, only eternal rest: “Requiem Aeternam.”

One of the pieces that Mäntyjärvi was inspired by was Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-night Vigil. It’s a setting to music of texts from the eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches’ night-time mass celebrated ahead of big festivals. Composers like Tchaikovsky and Rautavaara have written similar compositions, but Rachmaninoff’s is the best known, and many consider it among his best works. It was also Rachmaninoff’s own favourite, alongside choral symphony The Bells, and at his funeral, the fifth movement was performed: “Lord, now you let your servant go home in peace, as you have promised.” Of the 15 movements, the sixth, Bogoroditse Devo or Ave Maria, has also – not least in Sweden – become a beloved concert piece. The whole piece breathes a warm and fervent spirituality, trust and hope for all those who yearn and miss.

Text: David Saulesco

External link to the Arvo Pärt Centre in Tallinn, Estonia.