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Arvo Part... Where have you been my whole life?

My interest in classical music didn't really develop until about five years ago, so I'm still a novice compared to many of the folks here on A'gon. I tend to listen to a lot of small scale chamber music and choral music.

I've had Part's Tabula Rasa for years and always liked it, but for some reason I never delved further. I guess it's because I tend to avoid modern classical. In any case, I just started listening to some of his other works -- Te Deum, De Profundis, Alina, Litany. They are beautiful.

Can anyone recommend other works, either by Part or by similar composers? Thanks.

Bryon
bryoncunningham

Showing 1 response by kevvwill

kevvwill
70 posts
 
Yikes! Been loving Part for eons, it seems. And he found the right label in ECM, as he gets sound quality to match his compositions.

If you like Part, you'll also like Giya Kancheli, another ECM artist. Same qualities and compositional sense. Doesn't use silence quite as well as Part, but a remarkable composer. As mentioned by Ejlif, Ligeti will meet those needs. It's also worth trying works by a Russian woman, Sofia Gubaidalina. Not quite as austere as Part, but in the same sonic family.

The Gorecki No. 3 is nice, but be careful. The most popular one, featuring Dawn Upshaw, is unmitigated crap. Almost ANY of the others in catalog are better. My absolute favorite, if you can find it, is on Olympia. The soprano is Stefania Woytowicz.

Returning to Part, an overlooked work of his is "Kanon Pokajanen." Gorgeous vocal piece.
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