Valdur Roots
November 17, 1936, Tallinn – July 22, 2011Valdur Roots, a recognized piano soloist, chamber musician, professor, and music critic, studied piano at Pärnu Children’s Music School under Raissa Mirvitza and Alice Mardi. He continued his studies as a piano student of Anna Klas, first at Tallinn Music School, which he graduated from in 1954, and then at Tallinn State Conservatory, graduating with honors in 1959 as a pianist, piano teacher, and concertmaster. He has won the first prize at the Piano Competition between the Soviet Republics in Minsk, Belarus (1960).
In 1958–1975, Valdur Roots regularly gave solo recitals. Piano works by Estonian composers (Heino Eller, Arvo Pärt, Anti Marguste, Lembit Veevo, Jaan Rääts, Uno Naissoo) had an important place in his repertoire. In 1958, he made his debut in front of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Järvi. Among others he has soloed in large-scale works such as Johannes Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83 (conductor Neeme Järvi), Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C minor (conductor Neeme Järvi) and Fantasy for Piano, Choir and Orchestra (conductor Ilmar Tõnisson, 1993), Johann Sebastian Bach’s Piano Concerto for Three Pianos in C major BWV 1064 (with Arbo Valdma and Vardo Rumessen), Gennadi Taniel’s Piano Concerto (conductor Arvo Volmer) and premiered Ester Mägi’s work Variations for Piano, Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra (conductor Roman Matsov). He has also performed as a soloist with conductors Eri Klas and Arvo Volmer.
In addition to his solo career, Valdur Roots’s extensive concert activities also included performances as a chamber musician. The most remarkable and long-term collaboration was with baritone Tiit Kuusik, whose piano accompanist was Roots from 1964 until the singer’s death. They have recorded a lot of music on LPs, including Franz Schubert’s vocal music (eg the vocal cycle Winterreise) and several songs by Estonian composers. His ensemble partners also included soprano Elsa Maasik, coloratura soprano Margarita Voites, baritone Voldemar Kuslap, baritone Jüri Pärg and violinist Lemmo Erendi since 1969. In 1971, Valdur Roots, cellist Toomas Velmet, and violinist Jüri Gerretz formed an ensemble called Tallinn Trio, which performed for over 20 years. The repertoire of the trio included music from the 17th century to contemporary works, including new works by several Estonian composers (Mati Kuulberg/Lepo Sumera/Raimo Kangro’s Malera Kasuku, Mati Kuulberg’s Piano Trio No. 1, and Piano Trio No. 2 Alla Svedese, Jaan Rääts’s Piano Trio No. 3 and 4, Op. 56). The trio recorded a lot of music on Estonian and Moscow radio and several albums, gave concerts in Estonia, dozens of USSR cities, Finland, Germany, Hungary, and former Czechoslovakia.
Valdur Roots has been a concertmaster at the ESSR State Academic Male Choir (now Estonian National Male Choir, 1959–1988). The numerous concert tours of the choir have taken him to many parts of the Soviet Union, Finland, West Germany, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, etc. He also accompanied the vocal ensemble RAM-3, formed of the singers of the choir, with whom he performed in Japan, Madagascar, and Mexico. He has worked as a piano teacher at Tallinn State Conservatory and Tallinn Music High School. He began teaching at the conservatory in 1967 (in 1974 he became an associate professor and in 1995 a professor), in 2007 Roots was appointed professor emeritus of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and his pedagogical activities continued until 2010. He also taught piano at Tallinn Music High School since 1970. Valdur Roots has been described as a pedagogue with extensive experience and knowledge, whose work was characterized by good contact with students, conscious development of their abilities. More than 60 students have graduated from his piano class, including Rein Bleive, Viktor Gurjev, Eve Nõgene, Tiit Lauk, Tarmo Eespere, Lilja Maksimova, Signe Hiis, Eve Endoja, Vladima Jeremjan, Maarja Vaitmaa, Tanel Joamets, Siim Selis, Mihkel Mattisen, and Vsevolod Pozdejev. In addition, Valdur Roots has been a consultant and teacher of the history of pianism at Pärnu Gymnasium of Humanities (1990–1997).
Valdur Roots has been the editor-in-chief of Klaver magazine, he has published concert reviews and music articles (Sirp, Muusikaleht, etc). He has been a member of the Estonian Theatre Association (1969–1988) and the Estonian Piano Teachers’ Association (also heard the board).
Valdur Roots was given the honorary title of Estonian SSR Honoured Worker in Arts (1969).
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