by Ben Hogwood

A special kind of hush descends when listening to Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, a meditative piece from 1977 first heard as part of his ground breaking debut album, Tabula Rasa, on ECM New Series. Fratres is based on a small, repeating cell that can be expressed through a number of different performing combinations…but this one, for twelve cellos, is my choice, the soulful sound of the stringed instruments given a haunting edge by the tapping of the cello itself. A remarkable piece of stillness:

Published post no.2,989 – Friday 21 August 2026