Arvo Pärt’s White Light: Media, Culture, Politics

By: Laura Dolp

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Synopsis: One of the most frequently performed contemporary composers, Arvo Pärt has become a phenomenon whose unusual reach is felt well beyond the concert hall. This ground-breaking collection of essays investigates both the causes and the effects of this success. Beyond the rhetoric of 'holy minimalism' that has accompanied the composer's reception since the mid-1980s, each chapter takes a fresh approach toward understanding how Pärt's music has occupied social landscapes. The result is a dynamic conversation among filmgoers (who explore issues of empathy and resemblance), concertgoers (commerce and art), listeners (embodiment, healing and the role of technology), activists (legacies of resistance) and performers (performance practice). Collectively, these studies offer a bold and thoughtful engagement with Pärt as a major cultural figure and reflect on the unprecedented impact of his music. Provides a wide range of in-depth perspectives on the reception and influence of one of the world's most popular contemporary composers Accessible to a wide range of scholars across the humanities as well as to music specialists, with a minimum of technical musical analysis Offers groundbreaking explorations of Pärt's impact on numerous areas of the cultural landscape, from film and performance to new media and politics

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