Arvo Pärt’s vocal works have always been based on their text, especially since the Credo from 1968. Broken down into its separate parts, dissected and carefully transferred to the music, the text is both the source – the germ from which the work’s entire structure unfolds – and also the goal. ECM has included predominantly more recent or recently reworked compositions by Arvo Pärt on this CD. The title composition Adam’s Lament is one of his major works. The words of the monk Silouan with the key message of love and humility occupy great strength of poetic expression for the composer.