Somehow, I was a little late in discovering this guy, but he has quickly become a favorite.  Arvo Pärt is a classical composer from Estonia who writes somewhat minimalist music generally for large ensembles and choirs.  I’m not in love with his choir music but his orchestral scores produce some of the most beautiful sounds I’ve heard.

Below is one of my favorite Pärt pieces called “Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten“.  Not only is it an absolutely stunning piece of music but its construction is so transparent and simple.  At its core, it’s an overlapping descending A minor scale which after time resolves to an A minor triad… amazing.

This recording is by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the piece starts very soft… but let it play through, or download it and listen to it when you are on the subway… that would be fantastic.

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