Search - Arvo Part, Tamás Benedek, Strings of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra :: Arvo Pärt: Fratres

A gem from Naxos

S. Laker | 03/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps these aren't the great defining recordings of Part's works. They're certainly good enough. This CD served as my introduction to minimalist music - it was a lot easier to take a chance on a $5 Naxos CD than the $18 ECM recordings of Part's music that I love so very much.Part is frequently dismissed by certain factions in the classical music community as "New Age Tripe". It is true that his music embodies some of the quiet and contemplative as well as non-traditional elements of some new age compositions, but Part's music is also imbued with an utter dedication to spirituality that is clearly evident in "Cantus in Memory of Bejamin Britten", the last track on the CD. Part has also been called a "Holy Minimalist", a composer whose music is deeply connected to his religious faith. Even one not familiar with the composer or his history will use words like "simple", "meditative", "reverent" and "serene" to describe his works.Part's music is beguilingly simple. There are deliberate silences that are simply a joy to listen to. Complexity is simply not present in this music - each piece is stripped to the essence of it's musicality.It's an inspiring thing to hear.For listeners already familiar with Part's music, this disc offers welcome new interpretations of some of his more recorded works at a price that I, at least, would find difficult to pass up.I cannot really find fault with this disc. For a new listener, there is a wonderful sampling of listenable music from a still-living classical composer. For those who have enjoyed other music by Part, this is perhaps one of the best "bargain" CDs I have ever found."

Excellent introduction to part at a bargain price

vic spicer | 12/27/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this is a wonderul little CD- you would think that 6 variations of the same piece would get tedious, but each has a character of it's own. breaking them up are the jaunty "summa for strings" and heatbreaking cantus for benjamin britten. this compares well with the ECM recordings from the mid 80's, and is a bargain at the price."

Moving, emotional

almosthappy | San Diego, CA, California | 06/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Arvo Part's brilliance is marked by his departure from the sugary and over-polished neo-romanticist norm. Part's music is always sincere and never compromising. Listening to Fratres (Brothers) is like an excursion into Part's deeply emotional and heavily religious musical world, where everything is represented by a primal, serialized "tintinnabular" musical form. I'm surprised that this CD costs so little. Any fans of the 20th century music should add this disc to their collection."