Virgin Classics

Arvo Part - Pro & Contra - Estonian NSO, Paavo Jarvi (2004) {Virgin Classics}
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© 2004 Virgin Classics / EMI | 7243 5 45630 2 7
Classical / Contemporary Classical

Fans of Arvo Part's gorgeous brand of minimalism–all soft, neo-medieval and tintinablular–will be enormously surprised by this program. The six pieces were composed before his re-examination and re-emergence in 1976, after a five-year period of silence. They are what one thinks of when one thinks of a certain variety of fascinating, if noisy and vaguely unpleasant "modern" music, the type of work one expects to hear led by Pierre Boulez. In other words, we are dealing here with atonality, experimentalism, and serialism.

Arvo Part - Summa - Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi (2002) {Virgin Classics}
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© 2002 Virgin Classics / EMI Records | 7243 5 45501 2 6
Classical / Avant-Garde / Post-Modern / Modern Composition / Symphonies

At a mere five minutes, Arvo Pärt's Summa is actually the shortest composition on this CD. But, for its sheer, austere beauty, the work makes a fitting introduction to this orchestral disc. Pärt's trademark "tintinnabulation" style is in full effect on this sublime recording. Each of these works sounds simple and minimalist, yet also achingly profound. In Pärt's Symphony No. 3 (the earliest piece here, dating from 1971), the roots of his groundbreaking technique are just beginning to take shape: the ringing of bells, the calculated tension, and the hints of early music all add to the three-movement work's drama.

Unanimously acclaimed by her peers, the music-loving public and the press, French pianist Catherine Collard (1947-1993) died far too soon. The memories of her concerts, master classes and generosity are still very much alive today. The recordings made for Erato and EMI gathered here bear witness to her exceptional talent.

Sit back, relax and unwind to some of the most relaxing classical music performed by some of the finest artists. There’s over 7 hours of well-chosen music split across six CDs and featuring the world's best loved composers. Another winning collection.

Having seen the promotional announcements, I ran to my local store this week to pick up a copy. When some of the contents sounded familiar, I glanced down to the copyright date - © 2006, © 2010. The 2006 cautioned me not to buy, since I've got every Jaroussky Virgin Classics release, so I decided to check my catalogue at home…
By Arthur Leonard (New York, NY USA)

…The great F-Major Quartet, op. 59/1, is a highlight on the Virgin set: the Borodins take a lyrical, symphonic view with moderate tempos throughout the opening movement. Sforzandos and accents are never harsh; the dolce moments have memorable sweetness. In the Allegretto vivace, the Russian quartet realizes this somewhat unusual tempo marking without artifice or exaggeration, as 16th notes nimbly chase each other around the ensemble, perfectly matched and effortless…. Michael Fine, FANFARE

Unsurprisingly, it is in the music of the Baroque era – the heyday of the castrato – that French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has captured the attention of music-lovers lovers around the world. The ethereal, but sensuous beauty of his voice, his virtuosity and his sense of style have brought him critical praise, a number of major awards – including, in 2008, Germany’s prestigious Echo-Klassik prize for Male Singer of the Year.

Arvo Part - Choral & Instrumental Works (2004) {EMI Virgin 2CD Set}
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© 2004 EMI Records / Virgin Classics | 7243 5 62434 2 2
Classical / Choral / Instrumental

Heard a track on Radio 3, so bought this as a 'taster' of Pärt's music. A superb introduction, and play it frequently! Born at Paide in Estonia in 1935, a pupil of Heino Eller at Tallinn Conservatory, sometime sound engineer at Estonian Radio, and first prize-winner at the All-Union Young Composers' Competition in Moscow in 1962, Arvo Part, who emigrated to the west with his family in 1980, is one of the leading figures in contemporary music. He had been working with twelve-tone composition and serialism, as well as collage and aleatory techniques, but after a long period of virtual silence when he made a deep and searching study of plainsong, French and Franco-Flemish music of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, and the traditions of orthodox sacred music, he engaged in a major reassessment of his own style, emerging in 1976 to effect a renewal of his language.