As an introduction to the Arvo Pärt Days, a concert programme BALTIC VOYAGE & PÄRT will be performed by the Baltic Youth Philharmonic and conducted by Kristjan Järvi in the Estonia Concert Hall on Sunday, 4 September at 19:00.
On Tuesday, 9 September at 19:30 the audience can see a concert programme ARVO PÄRT`S DAYS: FOUR SYMPHONIES. The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, the art director of the Nargen Festival. The compositions performed at the concert will include Symphony No. 1, „Polyphonic“ op. 9, dedicated to Heino Eller, Symphony No. 2, Symphony No. 3, dedicated to Neeme Järvi, and Pärt`s most recent Symphony No. 4 with a subtitle „Los Angeles”, dedicated to Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

These compositions, which have been completed at different times, enable the audience to get an overview of the composer`s creative styles, starting with the dodecaphonic first symphony, composed as his final thesis at the conservatory, to the second symphony where he used the collage technique, to the third symphony, born of a quest for a new musical language, and ending 37 years later with the fourth symphony, „Los Angeles“, composed using Pärt`s current technique called the tintinnabul.

Arvo Pärt`s birthday on 11 September will be celebrated with a concert in St John`s Church at 18:00 featuring religious music composed in the last two decades: "Salve Regina", "Statuit ei Dominus" and "Beatus Petronius". Complementing them is „Adam’s Lament“, a work commissioned by two Capitals of Culture, Tallinn 2011 and Istanbul 2010.  The concert will feature performances by the Latvian Radio Choir, Sinfonietta Rīga and musicians from the Nargen Festival orchestra; it will be conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste.

Tõnu Kaljuste, the art director of Nargen Festival, has a long history of productive collaboration with Arvo Pärt which has resulted in releasing several recordings, not to mention premieres of compositions around the world.
Arvo Pärt has said: „Tõnu Kaljuste has already learned to conduct my music, no extra words are necessary between us and I do not have to show him how to do something. I cannot avoid doing all that when working with a new conductor because this music is slightly different from traditional classical music.“
The concerts of the Arvo Pärt Days are part of the European Capital of Culture Tallinn 2011 official programme.