Lithuanian composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis routinely paired colours with sounds, and was playful in his use of visuals and music. Upon listening to his symphonic poem, we're transported to a fairy tale forest where we no other business than to savour the atmosphere and projected paintings, letting our imaginations run free.
The works of Estonian Arvo Pärt are among the most performed by any living composer. He has developed a true cult following, and his works have been used in more than 100 films. He also experienced one of the most productive crises in music history: he withdrew from composing completely in 1968 and only created his own compositional style, tintinnabuli (bells), eight years later. His music is at once ancient and modern, timeless and profound, and his sacred minimalism treats every sound with the same love. Como cierva sedienta is his first work written for soprano voice and orchestra, in which he used the text of 42nd and 43rd Psalms. Similarly to Čiurlionis's work, sensory association led to Pärt's creation of the next piece, Te Deum, which carries a message of eternal peace. 'Swiss artist Martin Ruf once told me that he can distinguish over 20 shades of blue in the mountains when the air is clear. His words immediately turned into sound in my mind; I began to hear those blue mountains.'
Our third composer is the Latvian Pēteris Vasks, who also gravitates toward minimalism. His works are clean and communicative; his Epifania was written only for string instruments, a section he understood well as he was formerly a violinist and contrabassist.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest, Budapest Festival Orchestra