Arvo Part

Oh man, have I had a taste for Jozeph Van Wissem lately. I'm certainly envious of your proximity to the man. Baroque instrumentation in general has tickled my fancy over the last year--this Autumn and Winter especially--and so I very recently found my way back to Wissem (originally discovered him on the "Only Lovers" soundtrack back when that came out). The likes of Sostakovich, Tchaikovsky, as well a bit of the old Ludwig van have also been making the rounds in my listening lately, so Pärt is a wonderful scoop for me at the moment. Thank you so very much for sharing.

For the 16th century, he had an avant-garde style of composing, which was unprecedented until Schoenberg in the 19th century. He was also somewhat mentally ill; he often engaged in sadomasochistic behaviour, eventually to the point where he killed his wife. My explanation doesn't do him justice, but I strongly recommend you read about him.

Another interesting composer is Carlo Gesualdo. Have you heard of him?