Arvo Pärt (EE)

About

Also known as: A. Pärt, Arvo Part, Avro Part, Pärt

Arvo Pärt occupies a category basically of his own in contemporary classical music. The Estonian composer invented a technique he calls tintinnabuli, built on simple harmonies and chord tones that ring like bells, and it underpins virtually everything he has written since 1976. Works like Spiegel im Spiegel, Fratres, and Für Alina have become some of the most performed pieces in modern classical music, and Pärt himself held the title of the most performed living composer in the world for much of the period between 2011 and 2022. Before arriving at tintinnabuli, Pärt went through a turbulent creative journey, moving from neoclassical writing through twelve tone serialism, getting into trouble with Soviet authorities, then spending years studying medieval and Renaissance choral music to find a new direction. His 1968 piece Credo, which landed him in hot water with the anti religious Soviet regime, marked a turning point. Since then, sacred and choral music has sat at the heart of his output. The Arvo Pärt Centre opened in Laulasmaa in 2018, giving his archive and legacy a permanent home.