LDV44

18 LISZT // PÄRT Why this ‘companionship’ between Liszt and Pärt? This programme isn’t based on a musicological argument or on the desire for a ‘concept’. Between Liszt’s luxuriant textures and Pärt’s economy of resources, there is of course a whole world of difference. But, for me, the link between these two artists is obvious: they share a certain form of spirituality, which transcends their period and their mode of expression. Arvo Pärt is one of the greatest composers of minimalist music. Für Alina , one of his best-known piano pieces, gets me into raptures every time. In his life as in his music, he asserts a powerful religious sentiment. In the case of Liszt, who was so profound a believer as to retire to a monastery, one feels the same great fervour, which is akin to a form of transcendence. Some of Pärt’s works were originally written for organ. Apart from Für Alina , Pärt’s piano works seemed to me to go less well with the cycle of Harmonies . That’s why I chose two other pieces for organ, the religious instrument par excellence, whose sonorities can be found in Liszt’s music. They are austere, fervent works that also sound very well on the piano.