Arvo Part

I would recomend Fratres for Violin and Paino
and Spiegel Im Spiegel also for violin and paino.

Does any one else have thoughts on his pieces?

I found this cool site that explains his composition techniques and a few techniques of other comperers Tintinnabuli

I personally believe Part is a genius.

One of my favorite composers, his music just touches my "soul" eheh
Frates,spiegel im spiegel, fur alina, Tabula Rasa, cantus in the memory of Benjamin Britten, Festina Lente, Summa, Silouans song, orient and ocident, lamentate, Miserere....etc

So many good stuff, like virtualshock i think he is a genius, and it's good to see him get the recognition he deserves in his lifetime.
I recoment to see the dvd 24 preludes for a fugue. He is such an humble man!

Originally Posted by virtualshock

I would recomend Fratres for Violin and Paino
and Spiegel Im Spiegel also for violin and paino.

Does any one else have thoughts on his pieces?

Hi Virtualshock,

Thanks for recommending this unusual music

It's actually quite meditative, almost like something from the medieval times... I even trace some Indian music somehow. The music moves ahead while a pedal tone is sounding at the bottom of this almost ritual of soft string music. The way the musicians beat the rythm on the celli is a new trick - definitely a new experience that I recommend for other listeners.

I will have to listen several times before I get used to it. I remember in the 80s when I first heard 5 pieces for orchestra by Arnold Schönberg, it took me a while to understand the music. But after a while I got so interested that I had to buy most of his stuff!

Thanks for expanding my music horizon!
Fredrik

Originally Posted by virtualshock

I found this cool site that explains his composition techniques and a few techniques of other comperers Tintinnabuli

I personally believe Part is a genius.

I personally believe Pärt is grossly overrated, but apparently his new agey earcandy appeals to many people. I do however respect some of his more adventurous earlier works (which he wrote before he decided to produce that tintinnabuli muzak he has been churning out since "Für Alina").

I love Pärt.
Listen to Pro et Contra. It's amazing.

I actually disagree gianluca , he found his own style, and that is something every composer strives to achieve imo. (or at least should)

Originally Posted by gianluca

I personally believe Pärt is grossly overrated, but apparently his new agey earcandy appeals to many people. I do however respect some of his more adventurous earlier works (which he wrote before he decided to produce that tintinnabuli muzak he has been churning out since "Für Alina").

I personally wouldnt consider him new age at all............

but whatever

I was thinking about either getting 24 preludes for a fugue, or the "Arvo Part" a oxford study of composers book by Pual Hillier, or some thing like that.

sounds like you would recommend 24 preludes for a fugue, Emperor, Why?

First of all i'll tell you how i met his music. i've been wandering in oslo, jobless, happy, alone and turned out to find myself in youth center, and there played music. i couldn't leave untill it stopped, so i sat down on the stool and listned.i didn't dear to ask what was playing...the next or some other day i went to music shop saw an light blue cover album, read fur alina and arvo part on the cover. i put it on and that was it - spiegel im spiegel. so, it's the composition that changed my life. i think it's the most truly beautiful music i ever heard.though i very seldomly, always never,like to talk of ''the most'' stuff. from that encounter, i understood that true musical experience must be like that, out of nowhere, having no idea what to expect. this may happen very rare in a man's life time. it may never happen. so my question - do you think music can be the source of truth? i, myself, listen very little to music. last time i heard spiegel im spiegel was maybe half of a year back. i think it's too strong to listen it too often.
every time i take a chance to do it, i am left with question-should i do something to stay faithful and true to this music?and-is there anything one can do?and, if not, then i think that i miss the music.that i, somehow, betray it.there are some of my friends who think that's spiegel im spiegel is just beautiful music, a relaxation procedure...i conclude that they do not understand it.to me arvo part's music is quite paradoxical.he's deeply religious composer. yet, his "fratres" to me is a deeply erotic music. passionate. well, of course, eros means getting to know, to understand, so maybe i'm not too perverse about thinking it erotic.
i thought is there any music that thinks 'xenia' - love for strangers. and, yes, i think fratres does that as well, because of its nakedness,passion and eros - going beyond the realm of known. so, to summarize, i think arvo part is the composer of love, his music thinks love. that's where it fails/supercedes "aesthetics". in this case truths of particular music somehow says the truths destined for love.

I first heard his music in a ballet by Christopher Wheeldon, which I believe is also called Spiegel im Spiegel.