Viktoria Mullova: Music of Arvo Pärt

October 2, 2018, 9:00 am

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The works on Viktoria Mullova’s new album devoted to Arvo Pärt’s music for violin stem from the composer’s study of medieval church music. They are products of what Pärt himself describes as a ‘tintinnabuli’ style, developed by the composer in the 1970s through studying medieval church music. He says, “I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me. I work with very few elements – with one voice, two voices. I build with primitive materials – with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of a triad are like bells and that is why I call it tintinnabulation.” This album was recorded in the presence of the composer.