Carnegie Hall Throws Arvo Pärt a Party
The Wall Street Journal Oct. 27, 2025 7:16 pm ET By David Mermelstein Violinists Midori and Hans Christian Aavik with the Estonian Festival Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi. FADI KHEIR The Estonian composer, who recently turned 90 years old, was honored with two concerts devoted to his often-hypnotic music, beautifully performed by the Estonian Festival Orchestra and other ensembles from his country. New York Not many living composers of the concert-hall variety have carved a niche with the broader public. But Arvo Pärt, Estonian to his core, is certainly among them. In large measure that’s because Mr. Pärt’s music is always unmistakably his own. His scores, with their inherent rigor and overt religiosity, seemingly simple structure and patient exposition, conjure a world both foundational and unbound. Mr. Pärt turned 90 years old on Sept. 11, and Carnegie Hall is marking the occasion with a significant honor, appointing him this season’s Debs Composer. Typic...
