Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is one of the most performed living composers in the world. Nominated for 11 Grammy awards and revered by Björk, P.J Harvey, and Radiohead as well as classical musicians around the world, his deceptively simple and spiritual music is loved by millions.
This afternoon’s programme draws from a fascinating career punctuated by self-reflection and renewal. After attending music school and undertaking military service, the young Pärt worked with a brash and loaded musical palette, pushing the boundaries of the politically and musically possible. But he began to see this music as ‘hateful’, and he sank into an artistic winter. His Third Symphony, which we hear today, could be considered a pivotal work for Pärt, composed as he began to explore early music and Gregorian chants, embracing its simplicity and austere beauty.
In 1976, he emerged with a new and highly original musical language that would inspire his creativity and define his inimitable style for decades to come. He had developed a technique which he called ‘Tintinnabulation’, from the Latin tintinnabuli, or ‘tolling of little bells.’ This compositional idea, inspired by Medieval chant and Renaissance polyphony, manifests musically as two voices. What this means, essentially, is that the tintinnabuli voice arpeggiates a chord, creating a fixed and beautifully sparse foundation for an unfurling melodic voice. Summa (1977) is one of Pärt’s first tintinnabula works, whilst Festina Lente (1986) toys beautifully with time and pace. Swansong (2013) has a captivating hymn-like expression and is based on one of Cardinal Newman’s most famous sermons, Wisdom and Innocence.
Programme
Arvo Pärt
Festina lente - 1986
Summa - 1977
Swansong - 2013
Symphony No. 3 - 1971
