In New York, American Opera Projects and the Long Play music festival have joined forces to bring Arvo Pärt’s work to new audiences. The event is part of the year-long celebrations in the city to mark the Estonian maestro’s 90th birthday.
This year, the Long Play music festival in Brooklyn, New York, featured the music of world-renowned Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.
„We heard Pärt in three genres. The program included what I like to call operatic monodrama, then works performed by a string ensemble and choral singing. The audience was simply enthralled. We knew that Pärt’s 90th birthday had to be celebrated,“ Charles Jarden, artistic director of American Opera Projects, told ERR show „Aktuaalne kaamera.“
In just four years, the Long Play Festival has risen to become one of New York’s most cherished and anticipated contemporary music events.
„Arvo Pärt’s music has a place everywhere. Much of the festival’s programming is not ordinary classical music. I would say that Pärt’s music is probably the most ‚usual‘ at this festival. There’s a lot of music that’s from a completely different spectrum. But I think it’s important to showcase everything that’s being created in the music world right now,“ said David Lang, composer and artistic director of Long Play.
A rapturous applause was given to „L’ábbé Agathon,“ which was specially translated into English for the occasion.
„What you saw was just an actress singing in front of an orchestra, but in the future we would like to present it with the orchestra on stage with the actress performing it as a monodrama,“ said Jarden.
„The piece was originally in French. And for me to be able to perform it in English, so that the audience here can understand it, is very important. At first glance, it may seem like a simple story, but it’s actually very complex,“ said soprano Sarah Moulton Faux.
Arvo Pärt is highly regarded in New York. His work has played a major role in the development of plenty of musicians here.
„We need spirituality in our world. We need something that unites us, something that is important to us. I think Pärt’s music has showed us well how to be musically innovative. And how to get back to the essence of music. For me, this is something I love so much. We are big fans of Arvo Pärt,“ said David Lang.
Pärt’s 90th birthday will continue to be celebrated in New York throughout the year, culminating with a grand celebration at Carnegie Hall in October.
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Editor: Karmen Rebane, Michael Cole
Source: „Aktuaalne kaamera“
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