Arvo Pärt 💫

 

Arvo Pärt did not need volume to change the world of music. He needed silence.

Now he has received Germany's Goethe Medal, honouring a body of work that has crossed borders, languages and generations.

Photo by Birgit Püve.

Presenting the medal in Weimar, Goethe-Institut president Gesche Joost said Part's tintinnabuli music had touched and connected people around the world, creating "a space for humanity".

His son, Michael Pärt, accepted the honour on his behalf and offered a sentence that could stand beside his father's entire oeuvre:

"First comes the music and then - perhaps - understanding."

Which Part work would you play to mark this moment?

Happy 91st birthday, Maestro 🥂

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