Arvo Part - In Principo
 

Don't know much about contemporary classical music but "Tabula Rasa" was always one of my favorite albums. 25 years later, Part's new album on ECM is equally stunning. You have to here the piece titled "Mein Weg".
Definitely one of the best albums to come out this year.

Tabula Rasa is indeed stunning. I'm not too much into his choral work, but I'll check it out anyway.

It has both choral pieces and orchestral pieces:

In principio (for mixed choir and orchestra)
La Sindone (for orchestra)
Cecilia, vergine romana (for mixed choir and orchestra)
Da Pacem Domine (for mixed choir and orchestra)
Mein Weg (for 14 strings and percussion)
Für Lennart in memoriam (for string orchestra)

hehe, it's Pärt, not Part. cool dude indeed.

^i know that. just don't know how to write it with my Hebrew keyboard.

http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/2877/

 

I like Herr Pärt a lot. I like him for a number of reasons. I like him for the fact that he's deeply religious. I like him for the fact that he's really easy to get into while not being the twattery of Gorecki's 3rd. I like him for the fact that he'll do something really appealing like Fratres but then spatter something like Miserere with very confusing music. I like that he's kind of minimalism but not surrogate rock music. I like that he'll do something like Lamentate which sort of confounds his 'easy' aspect. He's kind of capable of being boring, as well as doing something like Cantus in memorium Benjamin Britten.

He's always interesting. I'll report back when I've got the CD (end of the month, I expect).

in a good way?

Miserere is a very confusing record, but also in my theoretical top ten, and thus exceptionally good. I say theoretical because, as you doubtless know, a theoretical ten can hold more than an actual ten.

theoretical or not, i would love to see your top ten list. i bet i can find out about stuff i'm not familiar with.

I'll tell you what, I can't be fucked to make a top 10, but PM me your address and I'll do you a mix CD (or tape, if you prefer), yeah?

*Edit - but the Shaggs would be in it if there was one.

I'll start with Miserere and then come back for more.

tiny newsvideo of Pärt named to be "honorable citizen" (or something) of his birth-town (where he hasn't been over 10 years), he gives really lovely and sweet and cute 20 sec interview at the end of this newsstory ("the town did caress me for giving such honour" - wordplay with town's name).

such an lovely man.

http://uudised.err.ee/index.php?06178747#video

What's twattish about it?

It's shite. If you've heard ANY classical music - and I do mean any - you'll realise that Gorecki is a servile composer. I would rank him very close to McCartney as a composer. I could name... roughly a million composers, including people who aren't really composers, that are masses better.

Richard Strauss. Seriously. Strauss is everything. EVERYTHING.

I havent heard too much of Part but i do like the ecm label. the heiner goebbels releases on there are great.

I know nothing about classical music, but a couple years ago I heard this version of Summa that I havent been able to find again (damnit), and was instantly hypnotized. It was just stunning.

Didnt know about the new one though, and I'm looking it up now. Thanks, Moshe.

Glice, post that top 10 !