Living composer Arvo Pärt ranks second globally in terms of performance frequency.
Arvo Pärt, the Estonian maestro, snags the runner-up spot as the world's second-most-performed living composer in 2023, as revealed by Bachtrack, the London-based data treasure trove of classical music events.
Every year, Bachtrack cranks out a bouquet of stats, detailing the number of performances for each composer's work, the most active conductors, orchestras, and individual pieces performed. In 2023, they listed a whopping 31,309 events—that's around 4,000 more than the previous year! These events encompass over 16,000 concerts, 9,000 opera performances, and almost 6,000 dance spectaculars.
Joining Pärt in the top 10 most performed living composers were John Williams, Jörg Widman, Thomas Adès, Philip Glass, John Adams, Sofia Gubaidulina, Caroline Shaw, Unsuk Chin, and Anna Clyde.
Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Schubert, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Schumann, and Ravel topped the list of most frequently performed concert composers overall. The most frequently played concert works included Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances," his Piano Concerto no. 3 in D minor, Dvořák's "Symphony no. 9 in E minor, 'From the New World,'" Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor, Beethoven's Symphony no. 7 in A major, and more.
Pärt has been one of the most performed living composers since 2012, commanding the top spot from 2012 to 2018 and in 2022. He shared the limelight with John Williams in 2019. Bachtrack didn't collect data in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic that caused the cancellation of most concerts.
Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi danced his way to the third busiest conductor spot in 2022, snatched by Andris Nelsons and Klaus Mäkela.
Born in 1935 in Paide, Estonia, Pärt's works have graced the world since the late '70s. He is known for working in a minimalist style, utilizing the compositional technique he invented—tintinnabuli. [1][4] [For more insights on contemporary classical music trends and performances, refer to Bachtrack's articles and analyses.]
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[1] [https://www.bachtrack.com/][4] [https://www.bachtrack.com/news/contemporary-composers-2023]
The Estonian culture, represented by the works of Arvo Pärt, continues to thrive in the international classical music scene, as he maintains a place in the top 10 most performed living composers for several years. Estonia's rich entertainment landscape was further highlighted when Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi ranked third among the busiest conductors in 2022.
