In his liner notes to this recording [Tabula Rasa], Wolfgang Sander quotes Arvo Part relating a conversation he had with a Russian Orthodox monk.

Part asked the monk what an artist can do to become better — write more prayers, for instance?.

The monk told him that he could do nothing:

“All the prayers have already been written. You don’t need to write any more. Everything has been prepared. Now you have to prepare yourself.”

Arvo Part Photo Credit

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