Pilot Pirx’s Test (1979).

Based on a story by Stanislaw Lem, original music by Arvo Pärt.

Director Marek Piestrak, interviewed by Ewa Mazierska:

One of the most distinctive aspects of Pirx is the music. Its author is Arvo Pärt, the most famous Estonian composer. How was Pärt persuaded to write the score?

MP: He did not need persuasion—he was very happy to do it, perhaps because he was not as famous then as he is now. But we should begin by saying that the score was the responsibility of the Estonian partners and they simply suggested Pärt to me and I was more than happy with their choice. Consequently, Pärt and I met to discuss the score. I did not want to—and neither did I need to—give him precise instructions. However, we agreed at the very beginning that the music needs to be “electronic” to have an “out of this world” feel, but at the same time have a distinct melody, unlike, for example, dodecaphonic experiments of the early Krzysztof Penderecki. And Pärt fulfilled his assignment brilliantly.