On October 16, Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür (1959) celebrates his jubilee. Having started his musical career as a leader of rock ensemble, today he his works meet success on many European and world concert stages. In honour of the jubilee, a birthday concert takes place in Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn, with the programme including Tüür’s music performed by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and conducted by Arvo Volmer. The high-spot of the concert is going to be the Estonian premiere of Tüür’s recent Symphony No. 7 ("Pietas") dedicated to Dalai Lama.
Erkki-Sven Tüür entered Estonian musical scene in 1979 as the founder of the progressive Rock ensemble In Spe. He was the leader, composer, flutist, singer and keyboard player of the ensemble until 1983. In 1984, he graduated from the Tallinn Conservatory's composition class with Jaan Rääts. Afterwards, he took private lessons from Lepo Sumera in Tallinn and trained his skills in the field of electronic music in Karlsruhe, Germany. Since 1992, Tüür is a freelance composer. He is also one of the artistic directors of the International New Music Festival NYYD and honorary doctor of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Tüür has received a number of cultural awards. His publisher is Edition Peters and his music has been released by ECM, BIS, Erdenklang, Ondine, Virgin Classics, Teldec etc.
Tüür’s predominantly instrumental oeuvre includes 7 symphonies, 7 instrumental concertos, a number of short orchestral works and a seven-piece series of instrumental works with various scoring, "Architectonics" (1984–1992). He also is the author of large-scale vocal works and the opera Wallenberg (2001). Tüür’s earlier work, which quested for "metalanguage", was a synthesis of various historical styles and avant-garde stylistic devices including Gregorian chant and minimalism, microtonal scales and linear polyphony, sound mass and twelve-tone technique. Since 2001 ("Oxymoron"), he has used his personally devised vector-based method, in which numerical modules serve as the basis for the composition
Tüür’s breakthrough came in 1989 with the Finnish premiere of the orchestral work "Insula deserta", followed by many commissions. Until today, his works have been premiered and performed by many Estonian as well as renowned foreign soloists, ensembles and orchestras. Tüür's compositions have performed at many prestigious festivals, including Border Crossings in Toronto, Bang On A Can in New York, Vale of Glamorgan Festival in Wales, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in England, Wien Modern, Musica Nova in Helsinki, Bachwoche Ansbach, Warsaw Autumn, Les Boréales in France, MaerzMusik in Berlin, Klangspuren in Schwaz, Icebreaker in Seattle, Europamusicale in Germany, as well as festivals in Strasbourg, Salzburg, Gstaad, Celtenham and Oxford.
In 2003, Tüür made his composer’s debut in New York Cargegie Hall with his orchestral work "Exodus" performed by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Järvi, and in BBC Proms, with Violin Concerto performed by Isabelle van Keulen ja BBC Philharmonic Orhestra conducted by Paavo Järvi.
A number of performances of Tüür’s work are coming in near future. In October, Anu Tali and Georgishes Kammerorchester will perform Tüür’s "Action. Passion. Illusion" in Ingolstadt, Germany. The same month will meet the performance of his Viola Concerto with Lars Anders Tomter and NDR Radiophilharmonie under the direction of Eivind Gullberg Jensen in Hannover. In November, Requiem will be performed by Rondo vocale and Sinfonia 02 with Gereon Müller in Stuttgardt. Among a number of performances of the next year, some important events stand forward: in March, Munich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Alexander Liebreich is going to perform the programme of Tüür’s music including "Insula deserta", "Symbiosis", "The Path and the Traces", "Lighthouse" and "Ardor". In May and April, premiere of Tüür’s Eight Symphony with Schottish Chamber orchestra directed by Olari Elts will take place in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and in June, the Fourth Symphony with American National Symphony Orchestra and Olari Elts will be performed at the Kennedy Centre, Washington.
On October 16, the jubilee concert of Erkki-Sven Tüür will take place in Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn, at 7 pm, with Estonian National Sympony Orchestra and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir conducted by Arvo Volmer participating. Besides "Insula deserta" and Symphony No. 3, the Estonian premiere of Tüür’s Symphony No. 7 ("Pietas") is going to bring musical excitement. The new work was commissioned by the hr-Sinfonieorchester and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and its world premiere was given by the hr-Sinfonieorchester and North German Radio Choir directed by Paavo Järvi in June 2009. The concert will be broadcasted by Estonian Klassikaraadio.
See also: www.erkkisven.com