Arvo Pärt - Variations for the Healing of Arinushka
The Estonian Arvo Pärt first wrote in the minimalist style he pioneered, called tintinnabuli, in the 1976 piece Für Alina and followed it up in 1978 with Spiegel im Spiegel. Much has been written about those two pieces and they'll both occasionally pop up in movie soundtracks or in commercials, but I have not ever been able to find anything written about Arinushka. Six movements in three minutes--it's over so quickly, sometimes I'll have some Pärt playing in the background and by the time I realize Arinushka is on, it has just ended. The tintinnabuli technique is intended to mimic the ringing of bells, the power of a single note beautifully played. I find it extremely calming and meditative. The perfect music to play when you should have gone to bed hours ago and are just barely awake. The lights are low and preferably you'll have some scotch or a glass of wine to go with it. I particularly like this description of Pärt's music, in his own words: "I could compare my music to white light which contains all colors. Only a prism can divide the colors and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener."
Arinushka is not one of Pärt's most well-known pieces--but if you like it (and how could you not!?), I'd recommend picking up a copy of the album Alina and following it up with Tabula Rasa. Much of the rest of Pärt's music is choral and based upon sacred texts, but equally beautiful. His just-released album In Principio is a great example of this style of writing. Here's a clip from the documentary 24 Preludes to a Fugue of Pärt talking about Für Alina to some students:Buy it here.
