Composer in the early 70s Arbo Perth (Arvo Pärt, born in 1935) experienced a deep existential shock. stop writing music and retired. The reasons were not only internal, psychological: the oppression and censorship of the Soviet government, being an Estonian, led him to a dead end. But such is his musical search, which began with neoclassical forms under the influence of Bartok and Stravinsky, to move on to more “aggressive” atonic structures based on the teachings of Schoenberg and the second “Viennese school”. But something else happened: Perth, being a Protestant, accepted Orthodox baptism.

It was a profound rebirth. In 1976, after devoting several years to a careful study of Gregorian chant (the polyphonic religious music of the West) and the wider so-called “early” music of Europe, Perth seemed to find himself. The music that he has composed since then, not that it was divorced from the works of his early period, conquered, without exaggeration, the world.

His name has become something of a landmark far beyond the narrow circle of the musical word. His participation in film music played a role in this, as well as his use of compositions by other directors.

Known for his more (seemingly) simpler instrumentals, such as the famous piano “Spigel im Spiegel” or the vocal “My Heart’s in the Highlands”, he has been hailed as something of a high priest of so-called “holy minimalism”. “.

The strength of his voice is evident in all four of his symphonies, especially the last two, but where Perth becomes even more direct is in his religious works. His Stabat Mater is amazing, as is, of course, the famous Passio, which we will have the pleasure of hearing tomorrow at Athens Concert Hall and, in fact, the elite Estonian music group Vox Clamantis. With his conductor and a personal friend of the composer Jan-Eik Tulve, we had an electronic conversation on the occasion of this concert, which in some way prepares the Greek music lovers for Easter.

– In the beginning, in 1996, we performed with this set of hymns of Gregorian Melos, the traditional liturgical music of the Western Church, which has remained alive for centuries. In the music of Arvo Perth I discovered the inner world of the Gregorian hymn writers and at the same time the principles of composition based on a specific text. Like Perth, the message we send through music is extremely important to me. Spiritually, Arbos and I are very close. His music is played all over the world and he is a wonderful ambassador for Estonia. Estonian musicians are crazy about playing his music – although this is a very difficult process, it is also very rewarding.

– Arvo Perth was deeply involved in Gregorian melos and early European music. He studied the spirituality that manifests itself in medieval music, and also studied its compositional techniques. In a sense, the primary elements of his music are very close to the Gregorian organ, for example, the relationship of music to speech, text. On the basis of the text, Perth creates a compositional philosophy that is unique for him, which has its distant ancestors, but at the same time sounds very modern.

“I think the world is always in need of spiritual support, because a good life can make us fall asleep,” conductor Jan-Eik Tulve tells K.

– I think that the world always needs spiritual support, because a good life makes you want to sleep. We are already deeply alarmed by the terrible war going on at this time in our native Europe. I have personally seen how Arbo’s music was accepted in dictatorships like Russia and China. After the concerts, people said that it was like a breath of fresh air.

A few months before Russia invaded Crimea, we sang Arvo’s music in Kyiv. His book, translated into Russian, was presented. It is worth noting that this book could not be published in Russia, so it was published in Ukraine.

– I would say that it is mainly based on the European musical tradition. If we talk about specific influences, then I would name two big ones: Gregorianism and the liturgy of the Eastern Church. Other important elements are the utmost attention to listening and the value of silence as the starting point of every sound, but also as the final destination of every sound. I don’t think it’s specifically Estonian, but the fact that most of his music is for voices and choir comes from Estonian culture, where singing is very important.

– In Athens we will perform Perth’s masterpiece Passio. This is the story of the Passion of Christ according to the Gospel of John, which is traditionally presented during Holy Week. Many composers in the history of music have used texts from the Holy Scriptures, as we see from our own experience that spiritual rebirth does come through pain. Perth’s Passion uses the traditional structure of the Passion story, with the characters being Jesus, Pilate, the narrator or evangelist, and the people. Of course, each has its own character, but what is special is that the role of the evangelist is played by a vocal quartet, which, in turn, is accompanied by an orchestral quartet.

Spring Festival, Vox Clamantis, Arvo Pärt: Passio. Athens Concert Hall, Monday, April 3, 20:30.