Anne Akiko Meyers
This weekend, American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers appeared in four performances to celebrate the opening of the new Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia, by special invitation of the composer himself.
The centre is situated in Laulasmaa, 35 kilometres from Tallinn, on a peninsula with magnificent natural surroundings, in a pine forest near the sea. It combines the composer’s personal archive with an information and music centre.
The centre is situated in a large pine forest
(c) Arvo Pärt centre
The Centre is to be considered as an open meeting place for musicians, researchers and music lovers. It was founded by Arvo Pärt and his family, with the aim of creating opportunities for preserving and researching the creative heritage of the composer in the context of his native language in Estonia.
Arvo Pärt (c) Arvo Pärt Centre
The most valuable parts of the archive are the Arvo Pärt’s original manuscripts, rough sketches, and outlines for his compositions. The range of archive materials also includes thousands of photographs; recordings in different formats; correspondence with commissioners, publishers and musicians; and films and other materials concerning Arvo Pärt’s life, his work and its reception.
With its nice forest view, the 140-seat concert hall creates a special atmosphere for performances and recordings. Lectures and talks help to provide a deeper understanding of the context of the composer’s works. Arvo Pärt’s person and compositions are introduced through films, educational programmes for children and the youth, and publications issued by the centre.
The Arvo Pärt Centre was founded in 2010 in Laulasmaa by the family of the composer. In the beginning, the centre was hosted in a private house.
However, in order to open the archive to researchers and begin offering educational and concert activities, a new and much larger building was needed. To find the most suitable solution, an international architectural competition was announced in June 2014, which was won by Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano from Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos. Construction work on the new building began in March 2017, with the Arvo Pärt Centre opening its doors to visitors on 17 October 2018, after this weekend’s official opening.
The Concert Hall
(c) Arvo Pärt Centre
