Arvo Pärt Returns to Form With Fourth Symphony
27 Aug 2010
The Wall Street Journal
It has taken Estonian composer Arvo Pärt the best part of 40 years to finish his new symphony, 'Los Angeles'. It is the result of a long journey, both musically and personally, since his Symphony No. 3 was less than welcomed by the then-Soviet authorities.
This could go some way to explaining why the new piece has been dedicated to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned Russian oligarch with political ambitions. While Pärt's work is often seen as otherworldly, it curiously continues to rattle more than a few cages.