THE SOUND OF SPIRIT
By Arthur Lubow
Published: 15 October 2010 (NY Times)
"Emigrating from the Soviet Union to the West in January 1980 with his wife, Nora, and their two small sons, the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt was stopped by border police at the Brest railroad station for a luggage search. “We had only seven suitcases, full of my scores, records and tapes,” he recalled recently. “They said, ‘Let’s listen.’ It was a big station. No one else was there. We took my record player and played ‘Cantus.’ It was like liturgy. Then they played another record, ‘Missa Syllabica.’ They were so friendly to us. I think it is the first time in the history of the Soviet Union that the police are friendly.” He was joking, but not entirely. Later, when I asked Nora about that strange scene at the border, she said, “I saw the power of music to transform people.”
Most contemporary composers aim to ravish the ear or to tickle (or boggle) the mind. Pärt is playing for higher stakes. He wants to touch something that he would call the soul, and to a remarkable extent, he is succeeding. When I would mention to friends or acquaintances that I was writing about Pärt, I was surprised at how many responded, “Oh, I love Arvo Pärt!” It’s not something you often hear when you mention a contemporary composer. . . "
For the rest of this article - and to listen to examples of Arvo Pärt's heart-opening music - go here
I first discovered his music in the eighties and it nearly stopped me in my tracks. So, it's great to have seen how he has become so known and loved over the years.
ReplyDeleteHi Annie - like you, I was stopped in my tracks when I first heard his music. . . I was in Antarctica and will forever associate his compositions -both choral and instrumental - with that continent. So saying, there are countless other places and mindscapes he takes me; never in a hurry, always with as many notes as breathing spaces. Arvo Part is one of the people I would like to meet and say 'thank you' to one day.
ReplyDeleteYour post is an introduction...so many things I don't know! How wonderful to be learning (of) them. I will return to hear more but can imagine being in a place as far from...everything as Antarctica and having such music to associate with that. Do you know Werner Herzog's ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD documentary of Antarctica? I thought of it and you with the divers under the ice, untethered because it let them swim farther.
ReplyDeleteDear Marylinn - I'm so happy to think of you meeting Arvo Part for the first time. May the two of you become good friends. He is so often my companion whilst painting or driving long distances. He creates aural and metaphysical spaces that are like containers - vast yet intimate. I don't how he does that, but am grateful for his gift.
ReplyDeleteI do know Werner Hertzog's film, yes. Very well. . . Sam, the biologist he interviews about foraminifera is my long-time collaborative partner. The camp you see in the movie is the same one I spent two seasons in. Henry Kaiser (who you see playing his electric guitar on the Jamesway roof!) filmed some of the footage of my small bamboo flotilla. . . I can't watch that film without feeling homesick. Am so pleased you know it, too.
In fact, speaking of Arvo Part and the under-the-ice world, I so wished I could have got permission to incorporate Part's 'Fur Alina' in my 'Hidden Depths - Poetry for Science' movie. All these links. . . 'Silentium' is one to listen for, too. xx