Pärt über Bach

Tabula Rasa is one of the first pieces that Pärt wrote in the characteristic minimalist, meditative style he later became famous for. ‘The sounds are there to surround the silence’, Pärt said of his tintinnabuli style. In the long period leading up to this piece, Pärt was in a deep crisis. In search of a new style, he incorporated other musical styles into collages. 

In Collage über B-A-C-H, Pärt masterfully incorporates Bachian phrases within his own modernist music, resulting in a composition rich in captivating tension and contrasting timbres. Works by Bach serve as a framework for the music of the pioneer of new spirituality. Violinists Simone Lamsma and Candida Thompson take on the solo roles in works by these two great masters. Heavenly.