Part: Cello Concerto / Perpetuum Mobile / Symphonies No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3

Featuring

Neeme Järvi
Frans Helmerson
Bamberger Symphoniker
Arvo Pärt

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Performer Biography

Frans Helmerson, the cellist, has held important teaching posts since 1973, including leading master classes at the Norwegian College of Music in Oslo and the Swedish Radio's college in Stockholm.

Compositional Technique

The Second Symphony by Arvo Pärt includes a quotation from Tchaikovsky's children's album piece, "Sweet Dream," which ends the symphony with charming and light instrumentation.

Performer Biography

Frans Helmerson, the cellist on this recording, won top prizes at the 1971 Cassadó, 1971 Geneva, and 1973 Munich international competitions.

Composition History

The Cello Concerto "Pro et Contra" was commissioned by Mstislav Rostropovitch, a renowned cellist.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Arvo Pärt described his collage technique as an attempt to "replant a flower in alien surroundings," aiming to cultivate a single flower himself rather than just transplanting.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Pärt's work shows two distinct phases: an early serial idiom until 1968, followed by an artistic reorientation and a new creative phase starting in 1976, which he calls "Tintinnabuli Style."