Arvo Part. Silentium (LP) (LP)

Silentium continues Mississippi Records' fascination
with this great contemporary composer. High-quality, heavy vinyl pressed at Smashed Plastic in Chicago, presented in deluxe reverse-
board jacket with artwork by Pärt's holy-minimal contemporary, Eduard Steinberg. Four pieces by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, a
pioneer of "holy minimalism." The album centres around a never-before-released rendition of 'Silentium,' the second movement of
Pärt's most famous concerto, Tabula Rasa, performed by Boston-based chamber orchestra A Far Cry. The group plays 'Silentium' at
nearly half the speed of the best-known version, released on ECM in 1984. The piece, known for its healing properties for the dying
and often used in palliative care facilities (one patient famously called it "angel music"), is breathtaking at half speed, seemingly stilling
time itself. The album compiles some of the most stunning renditions of Pärt's music ever recorded. 'Vater Unser (Arr. for trombone &
string ensemble)" is somehow warm and austere at once. A miniature epic. Pianist Marcel Worm's solo version of 'Variationen zur
Gesundung von Arinuschka' is as beautiful as anything we've ever heard. 'Fratres for Strings and Percussion' is one of Arvo Pärt's
most celebrated works. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra's version is iconic, filled with emotional playing right on the verge of
overly romantic, but never tipping over. Pärt's approach to both music and life is as sparse as the compositions he creates. He once
said, "I have nothing to say… Music says what I need to say. And it is dangerous to say anything, because if I've said it already in
words there might be nothing left for my music." Silentium continues Mississippi Records' fascination with this great contemporary
composer.