[fishtankfish]

I'm really getting into the works of Arvo Part. Can anyone suggest some similar artists for me?

 

[gratefulshrink]

I love Arvo Part.

The most similar to him right now is the British composer John Tavener:

"At the debut concert of the London Sinfonietta in 1968, John Tavener's dramatic cantata The Whale took its audience by storm and led to Tavener's music being recorded on The Beatles' Apple label. Since that time Tavener has continued to show an originality of concept and an intensely personal idiom making his a voice quite distinct from those of his contemporaries.
His growing interest in the Russian Orthodox Church, which he joined in 1977, marked a significant change in his style of composition. Increasingly, his influences looked back to ancient Tradition as he worked towards the creation of an icon in sound. Major works of the 1980s and early 1990s include the Orthodox Vigil Service and the Akathist of Thanksgiving, which was given a standing ovation in Westminster Abbey at its premiere in 1988. The Virgin Classics recording of The Protecting Veil for solo cello and strings with Steven Isserlis was awarded a Gramophone Award in 1992. Large-scale choral and orchestral works include Resurrection and an opera for the 1992 Aldeburgh Festival, Mary of Egypt which was recorded by Collins Classics.

The enormous popularity of Tavener's music is reflected by the number of arts festivals which have featured his music including Perth, Athens, West Cork, Toronto, St. Nazaire and the BBC's Tavener Festival which celebrated the composer's 50th birthday. Recent commissions include Svyati (1995) for Steven Isserlis, the recording of which was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize in 1997; The Hidden Face (1996) for the City of London Sinfonia; The Last Discourse (1997) premiered at St. Paul's Cathedral in March 1998; Eternity's Sunrise (1997), commissioned by the Academy of Ancient Music and premiered at the City of London Festival in 1998; and the epic Fall and Resurrection, premiered at St. Paul's Cathedral in January 2000; his book "The Music of Silence — A Composer's Testament" is published by Faber & Faber. In October 2000, London's South Bank Centre presented "Ikons of Light," a major three-week festival dedicated to his music.

Combined with his reflective spirit, John Tavener has an engaging humour which is never far from the surface. This is captured in both "Glimpses of Paradise" (1992), a documentary by director Geoffrey Haydon and "The South Bank Show," broadcast on ITV on Easter Day 1998 and subsequently released on video.

There are many CD recordings of John Tavener's music available on record labels including Sony, Virgin Classics, EMI, BMG, Collins Classics, Hyperion, Linn Records, Nimbus and Chandos. In April 1999 Harmonia Mundi released "Eternity's Sunrise," a disc which features five world premiere recordings of Tavener works performed by the Academy of Ancient Music.

Tavener received a Knighthood in the 2000 New Year's Honours list for "Services to Music."

His music is published by Chester Music."

("http://www.schirmer.com/composers/tavener/bio.html)

I'll post again later with some other composers.....

 

[FalconP]

Alfred Schnittke is a chamelon. His very late work, Pslam of Repentence, is an Russian Orthodox inspired choral work that you may take note. More turbulent than Arvo Part, this is a very emotional work.

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FalconP Alfred Schnittke is a chamelon. His very late work, Pslam of Repentence, is an Russian Orthodox inspired choral work that you may take note. More turbulent than Arvo Part, this is a very emotional work.

Good call, i was going to mention that piece.

It's hard to find anyone too similar to Part, as he is so unique. In some ways, ancient/medieval chant really is the closest thing.

Here are a few ideas:

Penderecki -- Sacred Choral Works

Veljo Tormis: Works For Mixed Choir A Cappella
Veljo Tormis: Forgotten Peoples

Only: Works for Voice and Instruments by Morton Feldman
Morton Feldman: Three Voices for Joan La Barbara

La Barbara: ShamanSong / La Barbara

Hartke -- Tutuli/Cathedral in the Rain [HYBRID SACD]

John Rutter: Requiem

Terry Riley: Descending Moonshine Dervishes / Songs for the Ten Voices of the Two Prophets


(My 1,000th Post

)

 

[Davey]

I actually only have one Arvo Part album so take that into account since I'm not even sure which style or genre it is that you're liking

But one of the modern neo-classical groups that kind of reminds me of Arvo Part is Rachel's, and they're one of the best too. If you don't know them, both Music for Egon Schiele and The Sea and The Bells are excellent. Great sounding too. I have them both on vinyl, but I'm sure the Cds are no slouch either. Maybe a little simple compared to Part or Hyman or Reich or some of the others, but quite beautiful too.

I was also just talking about Roger Eno and so I'll toss out the CD he did a few years ago called The Flatlands that is composed of 18 short classical "sketches" in a modern expanded chamber orchestra like setting, not too different from Rachel's. Very nice CD. He's Brian Eno's brother, but plays this one straight, without any electronic treatments. Especially nice on a beautiful Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, but works almost anytime for me. The reviewer at AMG even mentions the similarity to Arvo Part in one of the tracks, but the whole CD plays kind of as one extended track. Again, maybe a tad diluted, but very pleasing.

 

[wab]

Arvo Part is often connected to medieval and renaissance music, especially his choral efforts. Victoria's Requiem and Palestrina's "Missa Papae Marcelli" might be worth looking into.

 

[TJ Newton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishtankfish I'm really getting into the works of Arvo Part.

Btw, his name is Pärt, not Part.
Part means duck in Estonian.

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ Newton Btw, his name is Pärt, not Part. Part means duck in Estonian.

......maybe that's why the OP never came back to the thread....

 

[Kevin Sinnott]

Seek out the Gorecki (pronounced: Gorex-kee, at least by local Polish friends) and his Symphony #3. It is a most large scale orchestral work, but it has a similar look and feel, highly emotional and devotional. The work seems profoundly simple upon first hearing, but that's deceptive.

It's the work I most often pull out when guests moan the end of good new music. It's one of my favorite works, but happens to have been written in the recent past.

Hovhaness is another composer who might interest you. If you have SACD, there's a beautiful Mysterious Mountain recording featuring Gerard Schwarz conducting. This composer was dismissed by Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland, but embraced by Stokowski, who heard something profound and beautiful. I think in this case, Stokowski was again ahead of his time. Also again, more orchestral, but very moving and spiritual.

These are two great composers I would share with anyone looking for new music. See if you don't agree.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gratefulshrink It's hard to find anyone too similar to Part, as he is so unique. In some ways, ancient/medieval chant really is the closest thing.

This is very true. His works are very unique.

For nice vocal compositions I would suggest the following:

Gorecki
Francesco Durante
Emanuel D'Astorga
G.B. Pergolesi
Porpora

- check these out and let me know whether you like them or not. I can recommend more from there.