The music of Arvo Part is both a meditation on sound and a deeply emotive reflection of the complex human experience, in all it's agony and glory. These are works of great gravity, vivid stillness, and graceful simplicity teetering on the edges of transcendence and surrendered devastation. This record contains the essential orchestral and chamber works from the Estonian composer's holy minimalist/tintinnabuli period in the late 1970's featuring violinist Tasmin Little. There are many iterations of Fratres and the recording on this album is one of the more dramatic versions, with tension and resolution creating a narrative of almost mythological scale. The pieces that end each side of the record, Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten (1977) and Tabula Rasa - Silentium (1978), utilize deceptively simple structures which slowly modulate and morph into a montage of existential profundity. The sound of Arvo Part is tangled awe frozen in vibration. If you haven't immersed yourself in his music before, this is the best place to begin, preferably with a great pair of speakers or headphones and your undivided attention.
- Scott Boutin
5 tracks, 2 sides
Side 1
Side 2