Arvo Part - Silentium (Color Vinyl) LP

$25.98

Release Date: April 4th, 2025

Limited edition green vinyl.

Four pieces by Estonian composer Arvo Part, a pioneer of "holy minimalism." The album centers around a never-before-released rendition of Silentium, the second movement of Part’s most famous concerto, Tabula Rasa, performed by Boston-based chamber orchestra A Far Cry. The group plays Silentium at nearly half the speed of the best-known version, released on ECM in 1984. The piece, known for its healing properties for the dying and often used in palliative care facilities (one patient famously called it "angel music"), is breathtaking at half speed, seemingly stilling time itself.

The album compiles some of the most stunning renditions of Part’s music ever recorded. "Vater Unser arranged for trombone & string ensemble)" is somehow warm and austere at once. A miniature epic. Pianist Marcel Worm’s solo version of "Variationen zur Gesundung von Arinuschka" is as beautiful as anything we’ve ever heard. "Fratres for Strings and Percussion" is one of Arvo Part’s most celebrated works. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra’s version is iconic, filled with emotional playing right on the verge of overly romantic, but never tipping over.

Part’s approach to both music and life is as sparse as the compositions he creates. He once said, "I have nothing to say… Music says what I need to say. And it is dangerous to say anything, because if I’ve said it already in words there might be nothing left for my music." Silentium continues Mississippi Records’ fascination with this great contemporary composer.