Arvo Pärt: Summa for Guitar Quartet

Posted on 13 February 2012

Watch on YouTube

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Buy the CD of this beautiful arrangement here.

Buy the sheet music here.

Visit the Dublin Guitar Quartet website.

Happy Birthday Alban Berg

Posted on 09 February 2012

Alban Berg

Happy Birthday Alban Berg! He was born on 9 February 1885, 127 years ago today.

On this day in 1945, Frank Martin’s Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke was premièred in Basel by the Basel Chamber Orchestra and Paul Sacher.

In 1949, the orchestral suite of Gottfried von Einem’s Dantons Tod was premièred in Baden Baden by the Radio Orchestra.

20 years ago today, on 9 February 1992, Wolfgang Rihm’s opera Die Eroberung von Mexiko was first heard at the Hamburg State Opera – Ingo Metzmacher conducted. Here’s a German introduction on the Deutschlandfunk radio website.

And on the same day in 1992, Arvo Pärt’s And One of the Pharisees ... was given its world première by Paul Hillier and the Theatre of Voices.

Christmas Radio

Posted on 23 December 2011

Radio
Before we disappear amongst the Christmas wrapping, here are a few tips for your listening pleasure over the holidays.

Pierre Boulez’ Notations are on Radio SWR2 tonight (Friday) at 8pm German time.

David Sawer’s Stramm Gedichte will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 tomorrow (Saturday) at 9:45pm London time.

Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat is sung by the NDR choir tomorrow (Saturday 24th) at 7pm German time on Radio NDR Kultur.

Once the new year kicks off, listen to the Arditti Quartet performing Vykintas Baltakas’ string quartet b(ell tree) on SWR2 on Wednesday 4th January at 11pm German time.

French speakers might like to listen to France Culture’s Villes Mondes Vienne episode, which was first broadcast on 13th November and contains an interview with Friedrich Cerha.

Merry Christmas!

The Umbrella Man

Posted on 22 November 2011

The Umbrella Man

The peaceful beauty of Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel underlines the narrative of this short film by Errol Morris, now available on the New York Times website.

In The Umbrella Man, Morris talks to Josiah “Tink” Thompson, the author of the book “Six seconds in Dallas”, about the assassination of John F. Kennedy 48 years ago today.

Who was the Umbrella Man?


Update 24.11.11: To play the video, you need to click on the image above, then click on the almost invisible 'Play' button in the bottom left of the image on the New York Times website, and then once again once the video has loaded ...

Arte Contemporanea per Arvo Pärt

Posted on 30 September 2011

Arvo Pärt, Photo: Roberto Masotti

AD LUCEM. Arte Contemporanea per Arvo Pärt

This Saturday (1 Oct) an exhibition of contemporary art dedicated to Arvo Pärt and curated by Angela Madesani opens at the Studio La Città in Verona.

A tribute concert will take place on Saturday 8 Oct with the composer in attendance.

stillspotting nyc with Arvo Pärt

Posted on 15 September 2011

stillspotting nyc

How do locals and visitors escape and find respite in New York, a “city that never sleeps”?

The Guggenheim Museum responds with stillspotting nyc, a two-year multidisciplinary project that takes the museum’s Architecture and Urban Studies programming out into the streets of New York’s five boroughs.

For the second edition of stillspotting nyc, Arvo Pärt and the renowned architects’ studio Snøhetta collaborate on a series of stillspots around Lower Manhattan that explore the special relationship between space and sound.

Read more on the stillspotting website.

Arvo Pärt Vater unser now available

Posted on 13 July 2011

Arvo Pärt, Vater unserOur new edition of Arvo Pärts Vater unser for boy soprano and piano is now available.

Order here

Arvo Pärt performs his Vater unser for Pope Benedict XVI

Posted on 04 July 2011

Arvo Pärt, Heldur Harry Põlda, Photo (c) Priit GreppAt 11 o’clock this morning, Arvo Pärt will be performing his Vater unser (Our Father) for Pope Benedict XVI at a ceremony in the Vatican celebrating the 60th anniversary of his ordination.

You can watch a video live stream on the news.va website.

Sign up on this page to be informed as soon as the new printed edition, complete with CD recording, will be available.

There's also an audio excerpt of Pärt himself performing with the soprano Heldur Harry Põlda.

Arvo Pärt wins Classic BRIT Award 2011

Posted on 13 May 2011

Arvo Pärt Classic BRIT AwardGreetings from London, where Arvo Pärt has just won the Classic Brit Award in the category Composer of the Year.

“I’m greatly moved and I’d like to thank the Classic BRIT Awards and my country,” Pärt said in a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall yesterday.

The full ceremony will be broadcast in the UK on ITV1 at 10pm on Sunday 29 May.

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung honours Arvo Pärt

Posted on 25 January 2011

Every year, the Konrad Adenauer Trust pays tribute to an important cultural figure. This year’s homage was dedicated to Arvo Pärt.