Arvo Pärt recordings

Two new recordings of mine are up, on YouTube and SoundCloud, both pieces by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.

Für Alina was written in 1976 for the daughter of a family friend. It is an early example of Pärt's style of minimalism: tintinnabuli, like the ringing of bells. The piece is sometimes performed as written on the page: one time through (such as what I did here) but it is also common to repeat the piece, varying it each time through.

The pedal is sustained for almost the entire piece, and while the opening Bs quickly fade from the ear, the resonances of the strings linger and dissonances come and go throughout.

I also recorded Variationen Zur Gesundung Von Arinuschka, written in 1977. It is a simple set of variations, half in A minor and half in A Major. This is another piece that relies on the internal resonance of the piano. The opening calls for the left hand to hold an A minor chord without sound; the right hand melody, played without pedal, rings from the sympathetic vibrations of the strings. Throughout, the sustain pedal is utilized in atypical ways. A canon in A Major ends the set of variations, Arinuschka having gone through her illness and healing ("gesundung").

If you are unfamiliar with Pärt's music, I encourage you to listen to more. There are several good recordings, particularly on the ECM label.

Subscribe to my YouTube and SoundCloud channels to be notified when more recordings are uploaded.