Music News

Estonian-Israeli Music Festival in Israel

From February 20 to 24, MustonenFest continues as Estonian-Israeli Music Festival in Tel Aviv. The festival offers six diverse and fascinating concerts of classical, jazz and world music. The concerts will bring together Estonian and Israeli musicians. All concerts will take place at the Tachana, the recently-renovated train station.

The opening concert A Symphonic Overture on February 20, offers works of Georg Friedrich Händel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gustav Mahler and the Symphony No. 3 by Arvo Pärt performed by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and mezzo soprano Helen Lokuta under the baton of Andres Mustonen.

On February 21, Art-Jazz Quartet with Andres Mustonen (violin), Yaron Gottfried Trio and pianists Anat Fort and Itamar Carmeli will perform jazz adaptations to works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries at the concert Joint Jazz Forces.

There will be two concerts on February 22. An open concert for the whole family called Let’s Dance presents dance music through the centuries, from baroque to rock, from Lully to Led Zeppelin, accompanied by dance improvisation. This will be performed by the early music ensemble Hortus Musicus and an Israeli string quartet, accompanied by the Suzanne Dellal dancers. Evening concert Nordic Night Dream features Estonian musicians Andres Mustonen (violin), Jaak Sooäär (guitar), Tuule Kann (kannel), Taavo Remmel (double bass, computer) and Tanel Ruben (percusion) with Yoram Lachish (oboe, English horn , wind instruments from different cultures). The program consists of traditional Nordic melodies in modern, alternative and meditative styles.

Madrigals and Italian love songs from the 17th century can be heard on February 23, performed by Estonian National Opera soloists Teele Jõks (mezzo soprano), Helen Lokuta (mezzo soprano) and Pavlo Balakin (bass) and Israeli soprano Claire Meghnagi with Hortus Musicus.

The closing concert Universal Harmony of the festival on February 24, offers a festive and cosmopolitan show in honor of Estonia’s Independence Day. Ethnic-inspired music from India, Egypt, Estonia, Turkey and the Balkans, alongside folk songs in Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, Ladino, Armenian, German, English, Italian will be performed by Etty Ben–Zaken Ensemble, Art-Jazz Quartet, Hortus Musicus and soloists from Estonia. 

Additionally, the festival program offers two jam sessions with the festival’s artists on February 21 and 24.

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