Johann Sebastian Bach and Arvo Pärt are two spiritual masters from different eras. However, a certain kinship can be heard when you listen to their works side by side. Simone Lamsma and Candida Thompson play solo in the works of Bach and Pärt.
Tabula Rasa is one of the earliest works that Pärt composed in the characteristic minimalistic style for which he is renowned. Pärt said of his tintinnabuli style: ‘The sounds are there to surround the silence’.
In the long preceding period, Pärt experienced a deep crisis. In his search for a new style, he combined diverse musical styles in collages. In Collage über B-A-C-H he interwove phrases by Bach with his own modernistic music, resulting in a work full of tension and richly contrasting sounds. Pieces by Bach frame this music that ushers in a new spirituality. Soloists Simone Lamsma and Candida Thompson perform these works by the two spiritual giants. The result is nothing short of heavenly.
