As with last week's concert by the Tallis Scholars, Saturday's concert featuring the Latvian National Choir - also part of the White Light Festival - juxtaposed the sacred music of contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt with that of a historic predecessor - in this case, J.S. Bach.

Performing with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Latvians sang the Bach selections - a pair of obscure motets - with grace and diction. But, they lavished their full emotion on the music by their near-countryman, Pärt, whose Stabat Mater and Adam's Lament were both performed for the first time in this country. The words - lamentations on man's fall from grace due to Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden - were no less heavy than the music, which was irrepressibly sad and sat on this listener's chin like an anvil.

As an encore, the choir offered some levity in the form of Pärt's Estonian Lullaby, which drifted off just like a infant falling asleep.

More pics on Flickr.