Tabula rasa, a monument of modern music, marked not only the launch of ECM's New Series classical music label in 1984, but also the beginning of Arvo Pärt's collaboration with producer and label founder Manfred Eicher. To this day, Tabula rasa remains one of the signature albums of the New Series, thanks in no small part to its exquisite cast of musicians: Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett interpret Fratres for violin and piano, while the title track Tabula rasa features not only Kremer but also the great composer Alfred Schnittke (!) among its performers. Perhaps the most beautiful work on New Series' “Opus 1,” however, remains Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, one of the most moving orchestral compositions of the past decades, which many will remember from Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

Tracklisting:
Pärt:
1. Fratres
2. Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
3. Fratres (Version for 12 Cellos)

Tabula Rasa – Live in Bonn, 1977
4. I. Ludus. Con moto
5. II. Silentium. Senza moto