Arvo Pärt

My piano teacher recently suggested I should play some Arvo Pärt. She thought it would suit me.

According to Wikipedia:
Arvo Pärt (born 11 September 1935, in Paide, Järva County, Estonia; Estonian pronunciation: [ˈɑrvo ˈpært]) is an Estonian classical composer. Pärt works in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabulation and hypnotic repetitions influenced by the intellectual counterpoint elements of European jazz, and is generally placed within European-American classical post-modernism.

I listened to the pieces she mentioned (Spiegel Im Spiegel and Für Alina) and she was right; I find it to be very fascinating stuff. Simple pieces with hypnotic, meditative qualities. A lot of space between the notes and the pieces really take advantage of the reverb of the piano. That's something that always fascinates me when I play a piano; the reverb of it, the room, the air, the wood, the strings, the works. Pärt really knows how to use these elements.

Here are some youtube clips featuring the pieces mentioned:

Arvo Pärt: Spiegel Im Spiegel


Arvo Pärt: Für Alina


Björk interviews Pärt for BBC's Modern Minimalists: