I found that the only solution was to buy them all. And then listen to them in order. I found that quite interesting - so much so that I have done it a few times. I have my favorites but it is an interesting 'journey'. I enjoyed that so much that I started doing it with a variety of composers.
There are some great "complete works" boxed sets out there for not huge money. Going through them in chronological order (where possible) provides insight into how the composer's music changed over time (assuming that you trust the interpretation - and that is, in itself, an issue one has to deal with as well). Doing so for a few composers is a great education!
But back to Part. I like Missa Sillabica, Magnificat, Berliner Messe, and possibly my favorite, Miserere. The most accessible of his music might be "I am the True Vine" (if you don't like that one, you might as well skip the rest - if you do, then there is a world beneath which is wonderful to dig into.
Arvo Part is kind of off by himself in terms of style, but I find Tavener (for obvious reasons) and Britten (for reasons I am not sure I can clearly explain) have similarities. I also think fans of Arvo Part who have not listened to Ernest Bloch might enjoy it. Ditto for Bartok, though one might have to listen to a fair bit of him to see the links - but don't worry, it's definitely worth the journey too!
There are some great "complete works" boxed sets out there for not huge money. Going through them in chronological order (where possible) provides insight into how the composer's music changed over time (assuming that you trust the interpretation - and that is, in itself, an issue one has to deal with as well). Doing so for a few composers is a great education!
But back to Part. I like Missa Sillabica, Magnificat, Berliner Messe, and possibly my favorite, Miserere. The most accessible of his music might be "I am the True Vine" (if you don't like that one, you might as well skip the rest - if you do, then there is a world beneath which is wonderful to dig into.
Arvo Part is kind of off by himself in terms of style, but I find Tavener (for obvious reasons) and Britten (for reasons I am not sure I can clearly explain) have similarities. I also think fans of Arvo Part who have not listened to Ernest Bloch might enjoy it. Ditto for Bartok, though one might have to listen to a fair bit of him to see the links - but don't worry, it's definitely worth the journey too!