Published by Plough on September 3, 2024
Genres: Non-Fiction, Biography
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Between Two Sounds follows the life of world-famous composer Arvo Pärt from his birth in Estonia in 1935 through 1980, when the Soviets forced him to emigrate because of the nonconformist and religious nature of his music.
Based on years of research and close collaboration with Arvo Pärt himself, Joonas Sildre paints an atmospheric portrait of a restless artist who does not shy away from confronting state control or his own internal contradictions.
Arvo Pärt stormed the Soviet music scene in the 1960s as a brash young man pushing the limits of avant-garde modernism. Then he fell silent, no longer able to express what he felt through the musical language he had inherited. When he reemerged a decade later, he had found, in that silence between sounds, a new musical language inspired by ancient sacred music, the basis of his distinctive tintinnabuli technique. This graphic novel will appeal not just to fans of Arvo Pärt’s music but to anyone who has known the struggle to remain true to oneself whatever the cost.
“Sildre finds exciting ways to graphically depict music that shouldn’t be missed.”—Casten Jaehner, Comic Couch
“This extraordinary book, with its interplay of calm and dynamic, goes along well with Pärt’s music. It brings fans closer to Arvo Pärt as a person and will make the uninitiated curious.”—Dorothea Husslein, SWR 2
“Pärt seeks silence in music, and Sildre creates this silence in the pictures.”—Gregor Lilla, Élet és Irodalom
This unique graphic novel biography tells the story of Arvo Pärt, an Estonian composer who was passionate about innovative, different types of music and chafed against the restrictions of the communist regime. The story begins with his childhood and early passion for music, and it goes through his education, years of his career and creative partnerships, his conversion to Christianity and interest in sacred music, and the challenges that he faced because he didn’t contort himself into the mold that the government demanded.
Author and illustrator Joonas Sildre did the illustrations in simple shades of black, white, and gray. They are expressive and appealing, presenting both straightforward depictions of Pärt’s life and dramatic, metaphorical representations of his thoughts and internal struggles. The illustrations also portray music in a creative way, with bold, floating dots and lines that represent sound and composition. I enjoyed the stylish art, and the text was easy to read. Some nonfiction graphic novels have small, cramped panels, but this one has generous formatting. The panels and writing flow well and are easy to follow. However, it is a challenge to keep track of side characters and tell them apart, since there are so many names and the stylized drawings look so similar.
Overall, I found this interesting and enjoyed it. This will appeal to people who are interested in graphic novel biographies, especially if they have a fascination with any of the core themes, such as music composition, the creative process, faith and art, or the historical period. However, I think that this book would be even better if the author or translator had included an introduction to explain and contextualize the historic period and political situation.
I was able to follow the story without a problem, since I am knowledgeable about the era and the life in the USSR, but most Americans know very little about Eastern Europe under communist rule. A historical note could better educate this audience and reduce barriers to understanding the story, which sometimes depends on subtext and implication as people discuss things in a hush-hush fashion. This book is already for a niche audience, but could have been more accessible with an introduction to better explain things at the beginning.