This is one of a series of posts about music. I'll describe albums that are not famous and mostly not critically acclaimed either, but they grabbed me and held on. I'd like to try to capture the mystique of each one for you.
And now for something completely different. Hit Play on the video below and let it creep up on you. It's a long track.
I'm breaking my rule to bring you Tabula Rasa by Arvo Part, an acknowledged masterpiece. Part is an Estonian minimalist composer of choral and orchestral music. All that probably sounds like bollocks to a rock listener, which is what I was when I first heard it. But Tabula Rasa has this: atmosphere.
In this track, twelve cellos play a slow, aching melody several times, expressing a different emotion each time. It forms an arc of tragedy: quiet comprehension is followed by keening grief, then anger, and finally exhaustion.
Turn the lights off.
Wow, I *really* enjoyed this. It reminds me of Barber's Adagio for Strings, which my father wants played at his funeral (whenever that may be - hopefully not for a long while). Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to check him out.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! If you go looking for it, the album is the one in the upper left at this photo:
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There's at least one other album by the same name with different contents. This "Tabula Rasa" is the only one I've ever found with this particular track. I have a bunch of his stuff if you'd like to hear it.
Funny. I was listening to Mark Isham while reading this.
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