With Halloween around the corner and spooky season in full effect, it makes total sense for The Temple of Dendur at The Metropolitan Museum of Art be the setting for Celebrating Arvo Pärt. This is a career retrospective of work by the revered Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, highlighted by the haunting world-premiere of Pärt’s O Holy Father Nicholas.
Celebrating Arvo Pärt is curated by Nektarios S. Antoniou and The Schola Cantorum, under the auspices of Greece in USA and the Greek Ministry of Culture. These performances are part of an ongoing series of programming organized by Mr. Antoniou and produced by Greece in USA that focuses on Greek-influenced music and architecture, including the No5 Festival and the forthcoming conference, Temples in the Shape of the Sky. “The impact of Arvo Pärt’s compositions in the field of contemporary music cannot be overstated,” says Mr. Antoniou. “I am deeply proud to be able to curate highlights from the maestro’s career in a setting that befits the grandeur and import of his work.” Nektarios Antoniou is the Director of Culture at the National Cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who is curating this performance under the aegis of Greece in USA. This performance is part of an ongoing series of programming organized by Mr. Antoniou and produced by Greece in USA that focuses on Greek-influenced music and architecture, including the forthcoming No5 Festival and the soon to-be-announced Temples in the Shape of the Sky conference.
O Holy Father Nicholas celebrates the reopening of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was destroyed on September 11, 2001. A selection of masterpieces from the composer’s seven-decade career will be performed by The Schola Cantorum Choir and The Artefact Ensemble, under the direction of Grammy-nominated choral conductor Benedict Sheehan. Solo performers from Experiential Orchestra will be conducted by Grammy Award-winner James Blachly. Further distinguishing this memorable program, the design and execution for the concert invitation was commissioned by the distinguished American artist Raymond Pettibon.
Two performances of this program will take place at The Met: Sunday, October 31 at 3:00pm and Monday, November 1 at 7:00pm. As we stated, its more than appropriate for the season and we can’t wait for Halloween!
For more information, visit https://engage.metmuseum.org/events/metlivearts/fy21-22/celebrating-arvo-pa-rt-at-the-met/
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Arvo Pärt – Photo by Kaupo Kikkas
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