A biography of a classical composer in the form of a graphic novel? How gauche! But author and illustrator Joonas Sildre, like his subject, isn’t afraid to “bend the rules.” Between Two Sounds, colorfully drawn in black and white, tells the improbable story of the embattled Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, who runs afoul of Soviet culture ministers, suffers an eight-year self-imposed writer’s block, but emerges triumphant with a new sound. The book ends in 1980, at the cusp of Pärt’s stardom, but it’s a terrific coup, deploying a pop culture format, innovatively drawn, to reveal the struggles of a beloved living composer.

This book would be a great gift, obviously, for any fan of Arvo Pärt’s music, but also for those interested in contemporary classical music and for artists and creatives in general, since the book’s main theme is creativity and finding one’s distinctive voice, in dialogue with tradition – even when it is politically incorrect.

I confess that I had not previously heard of Arvo Pärt, the subversive Estonian musician and Soviet exile. This graphic novel led me to listening to hours of Pärt’s compositions, digging into his history as a dissident, and studying his technique. What tied it all together for me was his faith and the remarkable story told so creatively by Sildre and his graphics. … The narrative flows smoothly through the well-written dialogue and clean artwork. The black, white, and greyscale was appropriate to the era and Joonas Sildre is a master of drawing music.

A striking and skillfully visualized book. Simple achromatic panels, punctuated at key moments by bold, attention-grabbing splash pages in stark black and white. It’s an effective visual representation of Pärt’s musical style, most notably the minimalist tintinnabuli style that he pioneered and that is known to Western audiences through such pieces as Spiegel im Spiegel (1978).

Sildre’s portrayal of Pärt’s cataclysmic life and rapturous music is a formidable accomplishment and a sensitive tribute to a beloved artist. His skillful bonding of words and images to music creates a satisfying whole.

More than just a treat for Pärt enthusiasts, the graphic novel speaks to anyone familiar with the struggle of remaining true to oneself amidst external pressures. It’s a tribute to Pärt’s unwavering commitment to his art and his belief in the power of silence as a gateway to new creative expression.

To capture in visual form this incredible movement in a great composer’s soul is difficult. To capture it in comic panels, using only white, black, and sepia, is remarkable. Yet that is what Sildre has done: in keeping with Pärt’s conviction that at its heart reality is simple, he has distilled the stirring epic of a Soviet-era struggle for an authentically religious artistic voice down to a clear, straightforward, visually streamlined tale.

Sildre brilliantly uses simple lines – presented in swirls, circles, empty musical staffs – to explicate, connect, and enhance Pärt's creative and emotional musical journeys, moving up, down, straight, corkscrew, around and around, and continuing off the pages. Sildre's art radiantly confirms Pärt will not be contained, spreading his music throughout the world.

To create this book, illustrator Sildre (Messages from Ukraine) conducted research for roughly ten years and collaborated with Arvo Pärt, the Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Now 88, Pärt is the world’s second most performed living composer. A remarkable tale that’s enriched with few words and plenty of neutral-toned illustrations, it beautifully spotlights movement and the music of Pärt.

Joonas Sildre’s graphic biography Between Two Sounds is about Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s lifelong quest to break new ground. … The art does an exceptional job of expressing the power of music in a visual format. … A perfect graphic novel introduction to the life and work of an acclaimed modern master of music.

Sildre’s exceptional biography of the experimental Estonian composer finds novel ways to visualize his revolutionary sound. The comics storytelling translates the minimalist beauty and power of Pärt’s music to the page. … Lovers of art and music will be inspired.

This extraordinary book, with its interplay of calm and dynamic, goes along well with Pärt’s music. It brings fans closer to Arvo Pärt as a person and will make the uninitiated curious.

Sildre finds exciting ways to graphically depict music that shouldn’t be missed.

Pärt seeks silence in music, and Sildre creates this silence in the pictures.

This book is an invitation to understand Arvo Pärt and his seemingly simple compositions, which have baffled the music critics but cast a spell over audiences.

Joonas Sildre employs an imaginative and narrative force in his clear, reduced images – images that exploit empty space in the way Arvo Pärt’s music exploits silence.