IN a year of war and political upheaval, it’s a pity these tectonic shifts are not moving the musical dial in sufficient quantity.

The huge advances in immersive audio technology and the success of platforms such as Dolby Atmos should also be producing much more incisive movements. On the flip side, a strong year for contemporary spiritual and new ambient.

A notable release from ECM came in the form of a new recording of Arvo Part’s Tractus. Recorded by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the title refers to a series of theological writings by the English cardinal and saint John Henry Newman called Tracts for the Times (1843).