Arvo Pärt

Out of Silence

By: Peter C. Bouteneff

Narrated by: Peter Bouteneff

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Listeners often speak of a certain mystery in the way that Arvo Pärt evokes spirituality through his music, but no one has taken a sustained, close look at how he achieves this. Arvo Pärt: Out of Silence examines the powerful interplay between Pärt's music and the composers own deep roots in the Orthodox Christian faith a relationship that has born much creative fruit and won the hearts of countless listeners across the globe.

About the Author

A professor of theology and a conservatory-trained musician, Peter Bouteneff has been an ardent and attentive listener of Arvo Pärt's music ever since he came to know the composer personally in 1990. He teaches systematic theology and spirituality at St Vladimir's Seminary, where he also co-directed the Arvo Pärt Project.

©2015 Peter C. Bouteneff (P)2023 Peter C. Bouteneff

Critic reviews

"A luminous engagement of music, philosophy, and belief." LAURIE ANDERSON, Composer, musician, performance artist

"Many of us have written about Pärt, but one thing was missing, the view from within the Orthodox Christian tradition that has guided Pärt's work since the 1970s. This has now been provided by Peter Bouteneff, writing with clarity, precision, and the graceful authority of one who knows what he is talking about." PAUL HILLIER, Co-founder, the Hilliard Ensemble, author, Arvo Pärt (Oxford, 1997)

"This illuminating meditation on the pillars of Pärt's music word, silence, and bright sadness gives voice to what many intuit in the music and is a game changer for Pärt scholarship. Unafraid to traverse the same boundaries of religion, spirituality, and popular culture as Pärt's music, Bouteneff's book is essential reading for those devoted to Pärt's music and interested in the place of Orthodox Christianity in public life" JEFFERS ENGELHARDT , Amherst College