Arvo Pärt's asylum.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

For fun I've been playing his little piano piece from the 70s, Variations for the Healing of Arinushka. Though it's not difficult, the score is strange in some ways, with the simple melody spread out over three staves.

By the way, can anyone tell me:

1. Who was Arinushka?
2. What did she need to be healed of?
3. Was she in fact healed?

[Szykneij]

I just picked up this CD after hearing Robert Sierra's Folias on my local (and much maligned on another thread) classical radio station, WCRB. Included is a wonderful arrangement of Pärt's Fratres. While putting the CD together, Manuel Barrueco requested that Pärt compose a piece for guitar to be included on the recording. Pärt suggested the new version of Fratres instead.

[karlhenning]

Pärt suggested the new version of Fratres instead.

Lazy sot.

[Lethevich]

What do you think Pärt heard (or probably "saw", as I doubt that he had heard much of it by 1976) in Britten's music to have such a strong reaction to it? I can see perhaps Britten's dedication to the human voice through his whole output, secular and liturgical, and the "sparsening" of his language in pieces such as the Turn of the Screw, I suppose...

[offbeat]

What do you think Pärt heard (or probably "saw", as I doubt that he had heard much of it by 1976) in Britten's music to have such a strong reaction to it? I can see perhaps Britten's dedication to the human voice through his whole output, secular and liturgical, and the "sparsening" of his language in pieces such as the Turn of the Screw, I suppose...

got to admit not too well versed in Britten although there are only couple of pieces i know- Les Illuminations i discovered recently and had big impression on me  but i do know that what first attracted me to Part was his Canctus for Benjamin Britten (suspect its the only piece of Part many people know) whether there is any connection with Britten would not like to speculate but as you say i guess Brittens love of the human voice could be the connection 

[Guido]

Part's words on the matter:

In the years past we have had many losses in the world of music to mourn. Why did the date of Benjamin Britten's death - December 4, 1976 - touch such a chord in me? During this time I was obviously at the point where I could recognise the magnitude of such a loss. Inexplicable feelings of guilt, more than that even, arose in me. I had just discovered Britten for myself. Just before his death I began to appreciate the unusual purity of his music - I had had the impression of the same kind of purity in the ballads of Guillaume de Machaut. And besides, for a long time I had wanted to meet Britten personally - and now it would not come to that.

Hope that helps.

[offbeat]

Part's words on the matter:

Hope that helps.

tks guido - not sure it does really but i guess it would help if i knew Brittens music better - hes one of those composers who has a kind of musical block in my understanding hmmmmm

[Guido]

I would say I know his oeuvre fairly well and I think I know what Part means, though I'd find it equally difficult to actually put it into words - at any rate, Britten is certainly a composer who is worth getting to know.

[Lethevich]

Man, that quote is cryptic That description does go some way to set Britten apart from contemporaries such as Walton, so there must be something to it, although I am also at a loss to explain. But I do feel that pieces like the church parables, serenade, nocturne, les illuminations, and a host of sacred music could bear this feeling out. The sacred music in particular has an unusually human quality in its function - often aimed at amateurs or children.

[karlhenning]

A composer who is expert in Pärt will deliver a paper in Boston.

[Drasko]

Just run across a broadcast recording of piece by Part that hasn't been officially recorded this far, as far as I know. The piece is L'Abbe Agathon for soprano and eight cellos, from 2004. The broadcast is from 2008, Copenhagen Denmark, Patricia Rozario/Danish National Orch./Tonu Kaljuste. Here:

http://files.mail.ru/CQY889

(wait 10 seconds countdown than click on link saying L'Abbй Agathon.mp3)

text & translation:

L’abbé Agathon
L’abbé Agathon, se rendant un jour dans
la ville pour vendre de menus objets,
trouva le long de la route un lépreux qui
lui demanda:
“Oų vas-tu ?”
L’abbé Agathon lui dit: “A la ville vendre
des objets.”
Le lépreux lui dit: “Par charité, porte-moi
lā-bas.” L’ayant pris, le vieillard le porta
ā la ville.
L’autre lui dit alors: “Dépose-moi ā
l’endroit oų tu vends tes objets.” Et
l’abbé Agathon fit ainsi. Quand il eut
vendu un objet, le lépreux lui demanda:
“Combien l’as-tu vendu ?”
“Tant.”
“Achčte-moi un gâteau.” Il l’acheta.
Quand il eut vendu un autre objet,
l’autre lui dit: “Et celui-ci, combien
l’as-tu vendu ?”
“Tant.”
“Achčte-moi telle chose.” Le vieillard
l’acheta encore. Quand il eut vendu tous
ses objets et qu’il voulut partir, le lépreux
lui dit:
“Tu t’en vas ?”
“Oui.”
“Je t’en prie, par charité, reporte-moi ā
l’endroit oų tu m’as trouvé.” L’abbé Aga-
thon prit le lépreux et le reporta ā cet
endroit. Celui-ci lui dit alors: “Béni es-tu,
Agathon, par le Seigneur du ciel et de la
terre.”
Agathon leva les yeux mais il ne vit plus
personne, car le lépreux était un ange du
Seigneur venu le mettre ā l’épreuve.



The abbot Agathon, surrendering one
day in the city to sell objects, came
across on the road a leper who asked
him:
“Where are you going?”
The abbot Agathon told him: “To the
city to sell objects.”
The leper says: “By charity, carry me
there.” Having lifted him, the old man
carried him to the city.
The other then tells him: “Put me
down in the place where you sell your
objects.” And the abbot Agathon did.
When he had sold an object, the leper
asked him: “How much did you make?”
“So much.”
“Buy me a cake.” And the abbot did
so. When he had sold another object,
the leper asks: “And this one, how
much did you make?” “So much.”
“Buy me such a thing.” The old man
did again buy it. When he had sold all
his objects and he wanted to leave, the
leper asked him:
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes.”
“I do pray of you, by charity, to take
me back to the place where you found
me.” The abbot Agathon took the
leper to this place and the leper said:
“Blessed are you, Agathon, by the Lord
of the sky and the earth.” Agathon
raised eyes but he didn’t see anybody
anymore, because the leper was an
angel of the Lord come to put him to
the test.

[Guido]

Cheers, I've been wanting to hear that for a long time!

[Luke]

Fantastic - thanks very much for this! On first listen, this excites me more than any other recent Part I have heard for quite a while.

[Lethevich]

Here's another zip of the 4th symphony Helsinki broadcast that didn't work out so well in the listening thread (Does anybody have the Salonen one in lossless? I can only find mp3s.) A choice of links in case Rapidshit is being obnoxious to anyone:

http://rapidshare.com/files/338636334/partsym4.zip
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4N3MJA31
http://www.zshare.net/download/71482717b615026b/
http://depositfiles.com/en/files/9ac49pav3
http://www.filefactory.com/file/a2d7eh5/n/partsym4.zip

If you can't play flac files, download the Foobar2000 player. It's a lightweight and versatile app that you should find increasingly useful as lossless becomes the standard.

[offbeat]

tks Lethe - download worked for  me this time - im always a sucker for AP'S shorter string works which seem to be used as fillers in quite a few cd's . As you say this seems to be another but stretched to 30 mins or so. As always has some beautiful moments and reluctant to give an opinion after one listen but seems to drag in places - time will tell i guess 

[offbeat]

Just noticed this but tks to Drasko for L'Abbe Agathon
liked this on first hearing although thought was rather different from his usual output- quite lyrical but spare at same time !

[Mirror Image]

Just a heads up to all Part fans, there will be a commerical recording on ECM of Part's new Symphony No. 4 released on Sept. 7th in the United States. I think it's already been released in Europe. I'm really looking forward to hearing it. Here is the front cover:

[Sid]

Missed the Sydney premiere of Part's 4th earlier in the year. Damn - & it was absolutely FREE too, put on by Sydney Conservatorium. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get another chance to see it at some time or other. There are quite a few live performances of Part in Sydney this year. In May, I went to see the Berliner Messe & another choir will be doing it in November. It was interesting to see the version with organ, as I am familiar with the one with string orchestra. I think the organ added more clarity, and being in a small church, the acoustic was pretty good. I also hope to see the Sydney Youth Orchestra play Tabula Rasa in their final concert in December. That will be a very good way to round off the year. I like Part's music, his going back to ancient church musical traditions offers a kind of welcome contrast to the sometimes more "aggressive" modernists whose music I also like. There doesn't seem to be as much overt dynamic contrast in some of Part's music, but I like the subtlety and calmness (although Tabula Rasa's first movement has plenty of dissonance)...

[Luke]

Oh, there's dissonance in all Part, his style is built on it, even if in a very personal way. It's the aspect of his work which I love the most, actually, these dissonances which function unlike any other dissonance. The music seems to have been turned on its side, as someone once said, so that melody and harmony are one and function as one - his wife put it: 1+1=1 in Part's music, and it's an amazing sound.

[Guido]

Yeah I was going to say, dissonance is Part's music - and is a very strong part of what gives it it's unique sound and incredible beauty.