The Royal Philharmonic Society has awarded its Gold Medal to Arvo Pärt – in the same month that the Society also recognised composer Thomas Adès with the award.
On 12 September, RPS chair Angela Dixon travelled with RPS chief executive James Murphy to the 89-year-old composer’s homeland of Estonia and presented him with the prize at the Arvo Pärt Centre.
Arvo Pärt’s son, Michael, commented:
‘I would like to express our deepest gratitude for this prestigious recognition. Music is not just about sound, but a deep connection between the past and the present, between cultures and traditions, and between individual experiences.
‘In my father’s work, this connection is embodied in the way he draws from early music traditions while creating something contemporary. And among the many traditions that have shaped his music, English choir music holds a very special place.
‘As a composer, my father’s journey towards his unique musical language – the tintinnabuli style – was not immediate. It was a journey of creative and spiritual exploration. His close connection with the sacred text, which is at the heart of his music, has been shaped by a profound reverence for choral and vocal traditions— traditions deeply rooted in the English early music.
‘This bond becomes even more evident when we look at his collaborations with the renowned vocal ensemble, The Hilliard Ensemble, and their founder, Paul Hillier. Through their interpretations of Arvo’s music, a new dialogue was forged between old and new, past and present.’
The history of the RPS Gold Medal
First presented in 1871, the RPS Gold Medal is awarded for outstanding musicianship to the finest musicians of any nationality. It bears the image of Beethoven, to celebrate the close relationship between the composer and the Society which commissioned his Ninth Symphony.
Recipients are chosen annually by the Board and Council of the RPS, and approved by RPS Members. Among prior recipients are Brahms, Elgar, Henry Wood, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Britten, Bernstein, Messiaen, Boulez, Ligeti, Kathleen Ferrier, and more recently Jessye Norman, Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Janet Baker, Peter Maxwell Davies, Mariss Jansons, Mitsuko Uchida, and John Williams.