“This illuminating meditation on the pillars of Pärt’s music – word, silence, and bright sadness – gives voice to what many intuit in the music and is a game changer for Pärt scholarship. Unafraid to traverse the same boundaries of religion, spirituality, and popular culture as Pärt’s music, Bouteneff’s book is essential reading for those devoted to Pärt’s music and interested in the place of Orthodox Christianity in public life.”
— JEFFERS ENGELHARDT , Amherst College
“A luminous engagement of music, philosophy, and belief.”
— LAURIE ANDERSON, Composer, musician, performance artist
“Many of us have written about Pärt, but one thing was missing, the view from within the Orthodox Christian tradition that has guided Pärt's work since the 1970s. This has now been provided by Peter Bouteneff, writing with clarity, precision, and the graceful authority of one who knows what he is talking about.”
— PAUL HILLIER, Co-founder, the Hilliard Ensemble, author, Arvo Pärt (Oxford, 1997)
“By parsing the connections between Pärt’s music and the Christian faith, Bouteneff demonstrates the central paradox of the Pärt phenomenon: that a musician so deeply rooted in the particulars of a rich Christian tradition can, precisely on that basis, create music that continues to appeal to listeners across religious and cultural lines. This book is a triumph.”
— ROBERT SALER, Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis
"All composers deserve a book written like this one, giving performers and listeners deep and spiritual insights into the music and the spirit of the composer. This book has brought me closer to the journey within Arvo Pärt’s music. It is a must-read for anyone who performs or listens to Pärt. A truly extraordinary book in both scholarship, thought, and insight."
— JAMES JORDAN, Professor and Senior Conductor, Westminster Choir College