© Universal Edition
Arvo Pärt
In Spe ("In Hope")
A new setting of Pärt’s An den Wessern Zu Babel (“By the Waters of Babylon”) for brass quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn) and string orchestra. Co-commissioned with Vale of Glamorgan Festival in honor of Arvo Pärt’s 75th birthday. The sold-out audience affirmed Pärt’s status as “one of the most famous and indeed most important contemporary composers” (The Irish Independent). Duration: 8 minutes.
World Premiere
September 2010
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor
Vale of Glamorgan Festival
BBC Hoddinott Hall, Wales Millennium Centre
Cardiff Bay, Wales
Prior to the premiere performance, SDG's Associate Artistic Director, Peter Bannister, gave a pre-concert talk on "Arvo Pärt at 75."
"The Latin title In Spe translated into English reads ‘In Hope’, so I would briefly like to pay tribute to the hope that Arvo Pärt’s music has brought to our world, as consistently reflected in the three works on tonight’s programme. At first sight it may seem contradictory to talk of hope, given the deep sense of lament that is one of this music’s most striking characteristics, but I would like to stress that with Pärt, hope and suffering are actually intimately linked."
