7.2.2025 | Culture

Arvo Pärt Centre opens new exhibition for composer’s 90th birthday

Text Ingel Kink
Photos Birgit Püve

On February 1, the Arvo Pärt Centre opened a new exhibition, “Tintinnabuli – A World on Music Paper,” that invites visitors on a long and contemplative journey into the composer’s distinctive creative style—tintinnabuli. Through interactive book pages, Arvo Pärt’s musical world comes to life in images, animations, and soundscapes. The exhibition marks Pärt’s 90th birthday and is part of his anniversary celebrations.

In 1976, Arvo Pärt discovered a new musical language, tintinnabuli, which shaped all his subsequent compositions. This style has made him one of the most renowned and beloved composers worldwide. But what is this phenomenon, with its ringing Latin name, that has drawn millions of listeners to concert halls, inspired passionate discussions among professionals about contemporary music culture, and even transformed lives?

Launched during both Pärt’s birthday year and Estonia’s Year of the Book, the exhibition takes the form of an oversized book.

“Visitors will find a large-scale book in the centre’s library—but this is no ordinary book! Printed on real paper, it responds to human presence, touch, and movement. By interacting with the book, visitors unlock valuable additional layers, as if engaging with a living being with its own personality,” explains Maarja Tyler, the exhibition’s curator and text author.

The exhibition gives every visitor, whatever their level of preparation, the opportunity to get to know Arvo Pärt’s music. Concise texts, animated musical notation, audio samples, videos, interviews, and photographs guide visitors step by step through the composer’s creative journey—from modernism to crisis, and ultimately to the discovery of tintinnabuli.

The exhibition is designed as a multi-part project. Currently, visitors can explore its opening section, which focuses on the musical essence of tintinnabuli. Future sections will be more about the spiritual aspects of Pärt’s work, the development of tintinnabuli, its reception, and more.

“Tintinnabuli – A World on Music Paper” is primarily intended for individual visitors. The exhibition was created in close and trusting collaboration with Arvo Pärt and his wife, Nora.