Dr. Peter Bouteneff, St. Vladimir's professor of Systematic Theology, has written the September 2015 cover feature for BBC Music, the world's biggest-selling classical music magazine. The issue, dedicated to famed Estonian composer and Orthodox Christian, Arvo Pärt, hit the newstands in early August, with copies available in the United States as well as the UK.
The magazine's theme, "Arvo Pärt: How the composer's sacred sounds have captivated a generation," is explored by Dr. Bouteneff's piece, "Arvo Pärt: A Portrait." Similar themes are discussed in greater detail in Bouteneff's recently released SVS Press book Arvo Pärt: Out of Silence.
"BBC Music became aware of my SVS Press book," notes Dr. Bouteneff. "They also talked to Paul Hillier, one of the world’s great living choral conductors. He wrote the first book on Pärt, and he recommended me to write the article for this issue, which commemorates the composer's 80th birthday. I leapt at the opportunity!"
Since 2011, the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir's Seminary has fostered an extensive collaboration between the school and the composer, focusing on the Orthodox Christian underpinnings of Maestro Pärt's work through concerts, lectures, and the printed word. On June 18 of this year, a concordat between representatives of the Arvo Pärt Centre and St. Vladimir's was signed in Laulasmaa, Estonia. The concordat agrees to continued cooperation between the Centre and St. Vladimir's in the fields of arts and theology, in mutual counseling, and in joint academic activities.
