(June 2021) Episode 335 is ARVO PÄRT, maybe the most popular living composer you’ve never heard of. He started out in neo-classical and serialist forms, but then went into seclusion in the early 1970s and came out with a dramatically different approach. He invented a form called tintinnabuli, of a minimalist aesthetic. He also focused on choral works, mostly spiritual following study of medieval music and a personal religious conversion, which also forced him to leave the USSR. Much of Pärt’s music sounds meditative and mystical, embodying his spiritual inspirations.
Favorite piece: Fratres (for violin and piano)
Favorite choral piece: Stabat Mater
Favorite meditative piece: Spiegel im Spiegel
Compared to expectations: ↑
Opus Project 