Pärt: Lamentate for piano and orchestra

Homage to Anish Kapoor and his sculpture ‘Marsyas’

Arvo Pärt about Lamentate: "Lamentate is music for piano solo and orchestra. With respect to its form, however, the composition cannot really be described as a typical piano concerto. I chose the piano to be the solo instrument because it fixes our attention on something that is 'one'. This 'one' could be a person, or perhaps a first-person narrative. Just as the sculpture leaves the viewer with a light and floating impression in spite of its overwhelming size, the piano, as a large instrument, allowed me to create a sphere of intimacy and warmth that no longer seems anonymous or abstract. Overall, it could be said that my work is marked by two diametrically opposed moods. By way of slight exaggeration, I would characterize these two poles as being 'brutal-overwhelming' and 'intimate-fragile'. The two characters are not simply placed opposite one another, much rather being left to develop themselves in a conflict that runs throughout the entire work."