Music News

"St. John from Damascus" by Rudolf Tobias will be performed in Tallinn

St. John of Damascus

On January 9 at 7 pm, Rudolf Tobias’ cantata St. John from Damsacus will be performed at Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn. The large-scale work will be performed by soloists Aile Asszonyi (soprano), Helen Lokuta (mezzo soprano), Oliver Kuusik (tenor), Uku Joller (bariton), Märt Jakobson (bass), Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Girls’ Choir Ellerhein and Estonian National Male Choir, conductor Mihhail Gerts. The program also consists of Overture No. 2 (1959) by Veljo Tormis and Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Soloist will be Natalia Lomeiko (Russia).

Rudolf Tobias composed the canata in 1897 as his graduation work from St. Petersburg Conservatoire. St. John from Damascus can be considered as the first cantata written in Estonian music history. The work is composed after the poem "St. John from Damasque" by Aleksey Tolstoy, based on one epsiode in the life of orthodox theologian and singer John of Damascus. Estonian premiere of the cantata took place in 1907 at Vanemuine Concert Hall, Tartu.

Concert is produced in cooperation with Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and State Concert Institute Eesti Kontsert.

Agnes Toomla

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