Arvo Pärt – Tabula Rasa

Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, composed in 1977, marks a pivotal moment in the Estonian composer's career, introducing his signature "tintinnabuli" style—a minimalist approach characterized by the interplay of simple melodies and triadic harmonies. This double concerto for two violins, prepared piano, and string orchestra is divided into two movements: "Ludus" (game) and "Silentium" (silence), each exploring themes of emptiness and spiritual introspection.

The premiere took place in Tallinn, Estonia, with Gidon Kremer and Tatjana Grindenko on violins, Alfred Schnittke on prepared piano, and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra conducted by Eri Klas. The prepared piano, altered with screws and other materials, produces bell-like tones that complement the serene string textures.

In 1984, ECM Records released the first recording of Tabula Rasa, featuring the original performers. This album also included other Pärt compositions like "Fratres" and "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten," establishing ECM's New Series and significantly enhancing Pärt's international reputation.

Critics have lauded Tabula Rasa for its profound simplicity and emotional depth. Sputnikmusic describes it as "a deeply intimate, raw album that helps show us the heights that can be reached by utilizing so little." All About Jazz notes its "anodyne effect, leaving the listener cleansed, healed and moved."

The piece has found resonance beyond concert halls; it has been used in palliative care settings, with patients referring to it as "angel music" for its calming and transcendent qualities.

Tabula Rasa remains a cornerstone of contemporary classical music, exemplifying Pärt's minimalist aesthetic and spiritual sensibility.

Gatefold reissue includes original liner notes by Wolfgang Sandner in enclosed booklet

Reviews

"The album that brought Pärt's name to the West, and to the world (...). Back in 1984 Tabula rasa helped re-educate our ears and throw open the doors of our musical sensibilities to spatial domains that had otherwise been closed to us. This is without any shadow of a doubt one of the great recordings of the last century." — Rob Cowan, Gramophone (2023)

In 1984, ECM brought a new sound into the musical world with the release of Arvo Pärt's Tabula rasa, the first album on the label's New Series imprint. The record also marked the intersection of some of the most longstanding, significant musical collaborators in the label's history: Arvo Pärt, Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett.