The works on Viktoria Mullova's new album devoted to Arvo Párt's music for violin stem from the composer's study of medieval church music and are products of what Párt describes as a 'tintinnabuli' style, developed by the composer in the 1970s. Párt said of the style, ''I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me. I work with very few elements - with one voice, two voices. I build with primitive materials - with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of a triad are like bells and that is why I call it tintinnabulation.'' Párt's works have become some of the most iconic pieces in the contemporary repertoire and have reached far beyond the usual 'classical' music world in their popularity. This album was recorded in the presence of the composer.

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REVIEW:

This is not music that hinges on sudden shifts and sharp contrasts. However, at its core lies the age-old dichotomy between freedom and control, head and heart…Mullova brilliantly manages to tease out these dichotomies on this new recording. In Fratres, she approaches each variation from a different angle. Sap and rosin fly off the bow in the coruscating arpeggio figurations of the opening chord sequence.

– Gramophone