The four symphonies of Arvo Pärt were composed over a span of forty-five years, and bear little or no relationship with one another – four individual pieces that represent his output at separate parts of his creative journey. The First Symphony was composed in 1963, shortly after Pärt had graduated from the Tallinn Conservatory. Its two-movement structure looks to the baroque – Canons and a Prelude and Fugue – but the harmonic language is extremely advanced, giving off a distinct whiff of twelve-tone serialism. The Second Symphony, from 1966, in three movements, again employs a combination of serialism and textures hinting at Penderecki and the Polish school. Also in three movements, the Third Symphony (1971) reflects the time Pärt spent in the late 1960s studying chant and mediaeval music. Symphony no.4 ‘Los Angeles’ came much later (in 2007–08) and now the style is directly inspired by sacred music. Pärt took as his models two great litanies of the Orthodox Church: the Canon of Repentance, and the Canon to the Holy Guardian Angel. Unusually scored for strings, harp, timpani, and percussion, this final work is also cast in three movements.

With her elegant, expressive body language, natural stage presence, and infectious musicality, Eva Ollikainen is one of the leading conductors of our time. This former student of Leif Segerstam and Jorma Panula has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra since 2020.