An Impromptu Arvo Pärt Duet: Martha Argerich and Georgijs Osokins Record Hymn to a Great City
Captured straight after a live performance, the recording marks Argerich’s first foray into Pärt’s soundworld
Out as a digital single on 10 October 2025, this brand-new track follows
the release of Osokins’ debut DG album For Arvo in September
Watch his 90th-birthday-tribute recital to Pärt here · Listen to Hymn to a Great City here
“Not only is Arvo Pärt’s music beautiful, every note has a meaning”
Georgijs Osokins
Recent Deutsche Grammophon signing Georgijs Osokins is to release a digital single with the legendary Martha Argerich. The artists have joined forces to make a rare recording of Arvo Pärt’s Hymn to a Great City for two pianos – a musical gift for the venerable Estonian composer. Available to stream or download from 10 October 2025, the track is a follow-up to Osokins’ critically acclaimed debut DG album, For Arvo, released on 11 September, Pärt’s 90th birthday. The vinyl version of the album (2 LPs) comes out on 21 November.
The single was recorded in a spontaneous late-night session at Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle in June. During that evening’s concert, part of the city’s annual Martha Argerich Festival, Osokins played a selection of solo pieces by Pärt, and Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Trio with Gidon Kremer and Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė. Having never performed any of Pärt’s music before, Argerich came up with the idea of recording Hymn to a Great City with Georgijs, thereby both paying homage to a great composer and making a generous gesture to her younger colleague, who is already renowned for his insight into Pärt’s soundworld.
The Latvian pianist has described his DG debut as “a declaration of my love for Arvo and his music”. Produced in cooperation with Wintour Group, the album features Pärt’s complete solo piano works as well as several creative and idiomatic transcriptions of works for other instruments realised by Osokins himself. It includes the composer’s earliest solo piano pieces, Sonatinas Nos. 1 and 2 (1958/9) and Partita (1958), as well as the very first tintinnabuli work, Für Alina (1976). The new transcriptions include Fratres (1977, without fixed instrumentation) and Fragile e conciliante from Lamentate (2002, piano & orchestra).
“Osokins creates small-scale narratives from Pärt’s minimalist style. Shimmering patterns and colours emerge, combining to form tranquil soundscapes.” – Concerti on For Arvo
Osokins also marked the composer’s 90th birthday by giving a recital at the Arvo Pärt Centre, in the composer’s home town of Laulasmaa, as part of this year’s Nargen Festival. Filmed live on 5 September, this very special concert includes music by Bach, Scarlatti and Schubert, as well as Pärt, and is available to stream now on STAGE+.
Georgijs will perform repertoire from For Arvo on tour this autumn, with dates in Latvia – Liepāja, Cēsis, Ventspils and Riga (4, 5, 9 & 14 October) – as well as in Helsinki (12 October), Munich (20 November) and Berlin (22 November). He also appears at New York’s Carnegie Hall on 4 December with Kremer and Dirvanauskaitė, playing works by Pärt, Kancheli and Rachmaninoff. For full touring details, see here.
