Tabula Rasa (Pärt)

Tabula Rasa
Concerto by Arvo Pärt
The composer in 2008
Composed	1977 (1977)
Dedication	Gidon Kremer
Movements	two
Scoring	2 solo violins (or violin and viola) prepared piano chamber orchestra
Premiere
Date	30 September 1977 (1977-09-30)
Location	Tallinn
Conductor	Eri Klas
Performers	Gidon Kremer, Tatjana Grindenko, Alfred Schnittke, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra

Tabula Rasa is a musical composition written in 1977 by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The piece contains two movements, "Ludus" and "Silentium," and is a double concerto for two solo violins, prepared piano, and chamber orchestra.

In 1968, Arvo Pärt fell publicly silent and entered a period of “artistic reorientation.” During this period, he developed his tintinnabuli style of composition, which pairs two voices, one playing the notes of a scale (Melodic Voice), and the other playing notes of a triad (Tintinnabuli Voice). Pärt emerged from this period of innovation in 1976, and composed many of his most well known works, including Fratres, Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, and Summa (Pärt), all written in the tintinnabuli style. Tabula Rasa is one of these earliest tintinnabuli pieces, and holds the distinction of being one of the first compositions of Pärt's to reach Western listeners outside of Estonia and the Soviet States.

Tabula Rasa was composed at the request of Eri Klas, a friend and conductor, who asked Pärt to write a piece to accompany Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso, which was scored for two violins, prepared piano, harpsichord, and string chamber ensemble, for an upcoming concert. The piece is dedicated to violinist Gidon Kremer. Kremer premièred the piece in Tallinn, Estonia, on 30 September 1977, with Tatjana Grindenko, on solo second violin, Alfred Schnittke on the prepared piano, and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Eri Klas.

Pärt released two versions of Tabula Rasa in 1977. The first is scored for two solo violins, prepared piano, and string chamber orchestra. The second is scored for solo violin and solo viola, prepared piano, and string chamber orchestra.

In 1984, ECM Records, under the direction of Manfred Eicher, released their first recording of Pärt's music, entitled "Tabula Rasa", which featured performers Gidon Kremer, Tatjana Grindenko, Alfred Schnittke, with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Saulius Sondeckis. This recording was the first of Pärt’s long collaboration with Eicher and ECM. Another excellent recording is on the EMI Eminence label. Tasmin Little is the soloist with Martin Roscoe (piano) and the Bournemouth Sinfonietta conducted by Richard Studt who also plays the second violin.