In his many works for all types of choir Rautavaara has very substantially demonstrated his command of the choral medium. Many of his choral works have already become evergreens in his own life. In his five-movement Magnificat Rautavaara makes use of one of his favourite devices from this period: the accompanying voices (altos and tenors) divide to form a contantly moving textural field, over which the upper and lower voices weave their melodic lines. Written in 1979, the Magnificat is one of Rautavaara's most important choral works. Text: Bible (Latin), duration 18 minutes.
