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Arvo Pärt – And then came the evening and the morning (1990) – Documentary.
This documentary shows Arvo Pärt at home with his family and working in his study. He is interviewed/provides voiceover in Estonian/Russian with subtitled English translations.
Concert rehearsals (The Hilliard Ensemble/ Western Wind Choir/Paul Hillier) (unknown Finnish choir & orchestra/Eri Klas) and a studio session (Arvo Pärt: Yamaha DX7 keyboard, Jan Garbarek: tenor saxophone & Manfred Eicher: engineer) for the unreleased recording of what is reputedly Aetos are shown. Also a few minutes of the Kremer/Grindenko/Schnittke /Sondeckis Tabula Rasa performance is shown which would lead one to think that there is a complete video recording of that as well as the WDR Radio recording used for the ECM release.
The tone of the documentary alternates from serious interviews/work to humorous scenes of Pärt clowning around and German “man on the street” interviews with people being asked “Who is Arvo Pärt?”. Overall, a fascinating view into Pärt’s work and lifestyle. – Alan Teder
Also known as “Who is Arvo Pärt? (A Journey into the Mind of a Composer)” Estonian/Russian with English subtitles
And Then Came the Evening and the Morning
Director Dorian Supin
Estonia, Finland 1989
In 1980, Arvo Pärt and his family emigrated from Soviet Union and after a year in Vienna, they found home in West Berlin. Director Dorian Supin looks at the time when composer Arvo Pärt was not in Estonia and remained relatively inaccessible, following Pärt’s days, from morning to night.
The film shows concerts in many countries, and daily domestic life; situations that testify to his expanding recognition and public life. Dorian Supin’s film reveals that the surface view accessible to everyone is often incomplete, shifting and sometimes distorting reality. Events, places, and details in the composer’s life are like a form that makes the creative work observable. It is as if wanting to see to the bottom of water, when the reflection does not get in the way. Using eyes to measure depth is, however, not always possible.
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Quoting Arvo Pärt from the film: “It is the same thing as Music that exists in the world without the composer around us, just as a sculpture exists inside a stone and the sculptor releases it from within the stone. And this is how Music exists, I just peel the potato. The artist boils and serves it, but it was God who let it grow. This Music exists, I did not make it up.”
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Who is Arvo Pärt?
Arvo Pärt (Paide, September 11, 1935) is an Estonian nationalized Austrian composer of sacred music. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest composers of contemporary classical music since the late 20th century. He was the most performed living composer between 2012 and 2018, and second (behind John Williams) until 2022, when he returned to first place.
Active as a composer since the 1960s, Pärt made a well-known transition from serialism to liturgical music, influenced by his conversion to the Russian Orthodox Church. With the creation of the Tintinnabuli style, in 1976 he began a second creative period that positioned him as a pioneer and greatest reference of sacred minimalism, along with Henryk Górecki and John Tavener.
His long association with Manfred Eicher’s ECM label, and his collaborations with musicians of the stature of Gidon Kremer and Paul Hillier also contributed to this recognition.
His work includes works of instrumental music (Tabula Rasa, Fratres, Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, Spiegel im Spiegel) and choral symphonic music (Berliner Messe, Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Secundum Joannem, Te Deum), which occupy a consolidated place in the contemporary universal repertoire.
He also composed four symphonies and numerous pieces for a cappella choir (Summa, Magnificat, Da Pacem Master).
In 2014 he received the Praemium Imperiale in the music category in Tokyo.
Spiegel im Spiegel, for Viola & Piano, by Arvo Pärt
Spiegel im Spiegel, for Viola & Piano · Benjamin Hudson · Jürgen Kruse Arvo Pärt Collection, Brilliant Classics.
Released on: 2021-10-29 Viola: Benjamin Hudson Piano: Jürgen Kruse Composer: Arvo Pärt Music Publisher: Brilliant Classics.