Music News

Estonian Music Information Centre is on Christmas vacation

Estonian Music Information Centre is on Christmas vacation from December 23 till January 1. EMIC Music Shop orders made and paid up to December 20 will be posted on December 21. Orders made after that will be fulfilled from January 2. Scores in PDF format paid with credit card appear into your mailbox automatically. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for all!

Hamburg-based Estonian oboist released his debut album

Finnish label Alba Records has released a debut album „Concertos for oboe and oboe d´amore“ by German-based Estonian oboist Kalev Kuljus and Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra.

Works by Tõnu Kõrvits and Märt-Matis Lill at the World New Music Days

From November 2–8, International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) festival World New Music Days takes place in Canada, Vancouver. Estonia is represented by two works: Märt-Matis Lill’s ensemble piece „When the Buffalo Went Away“ and Tõnu Kõrvits’s choir cycle „The Songs of Song of Songs“.

International New Music Festival Afekt to begin

International New Music Festival Afekt takes place in Tallinn and Tartu from October 27 to November 1. Afekt presents a wide range of contemporary music, from its recognized classics to new and fresh themes currently actual on the international scene, performed by top musicians and ensembles. Premieres of works by Elis Vesik, Mart Siimer, Age Veeroos, Liisa Hirsch, Marianna Liik, Helena Tulve and Michael Finnissy will be brought to the audience.

XXII International Festival Orient et Occident

Concert Agency FA Concerto presents Festival „Orient et Occident“ from 13–15 October in Tartu and Tallinn. Performers are masters of music from Italy, Iran, Palestine, Uzbekistan and Estonia. Programmes consists of European Medieval music, Persian, Sufi, Arab, Japanese and Uzbek traditional and contemporary music and improvisations.

Annual Awards of the Estonian Music Council and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia

On October 1, International Music Day, the laureates of music awards of the year 2017 were announced in Estonia Concert Hall with the performance of Estonian Dream Big Band and Estonian National Male Choir. Laureates of the Estonian Music Council Music Prizes are Jüri Reinvere, Paavo Järvi and Evi Arujärv.

Premiere of the new Estonian opera „The Colours of Clouds“ by Rasmus Puur

On September 22, opera „The Colours of Clouds” by young composer Rasmus Puur will premiere at the Estonian National Opera. Opera is based on Jaan Kruusvall’s play „Pilvede värvid” („The Colours of Clouds”, 1983), and discusses the fleeing of Estonians from their homeland during the events of World War II.

Composition commissions for the 2019 "Roche Young Commissions" awarded to Marianna Liik and Josep Planells Schiaffino.

Marianna Liik and Josep Planells Schiaffino have been awarded commissions by the 2019 "Roche Young Commissions" to compose new works. Wolfgang Rihm, the Artistic Director of the Lucerne Festival Academy, selected both young artists, who were officially greeted at Roche on 4 September. Liik and Planells Schiaffino will each compose a work by 2019, on which they will work during the summer of 2018 together with Rihm and the Orchestra of the Lucerne Festival Academy. The works will then be given their world premiere during the 2019 Summer Festival.

Arvo Pärt Days 2017

Arvo Pärt Days take place from September 2 to 11 in Tallinn, Paide, Rakvere, Viljandi and Tartu. The program of Arvo Pärt Days opening concert, performed by Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, includes Arvo Pärt's works of both earlier and later period and creates a thematic bridge between the great Baroque master J. S. Bach and the latest work of a young Estonian composer Pärt Uusberg.

New CD of Jaan Rääts’s piano sonatas

French pianist Nicolas Horvath has released the first volume of Jaan Rääts’s complete piano sonatas under Naxos Records. CD recorded in July 2016 in Paris consists Rääts’s sonatas Nos. 1–4 and Nos. 9–10 – all world premiere recordings.

Estonian Music Information Centre is on summer vacation

Estonian Music Information Centre is on summer vacation until the 31st of July. Find the concerts in July from our Calendar of Music Events. EMIC Music Shop orders will be fulfilled from August 1. Scores in PDF format paid with credit card appear into your mailbox automatically. Have a wonderful summer!

Helena Tulve is a composer of the Båstad Chamber Music Festival

From June 26 to July 1, 25th edition of Båstad Chamber Music Festival takes place in Swedish coastal town of Båstad. Composer of the festival is Helena Tulve. Program includes Tulve’s choral and chamber music, performed by Anna-Liisa Eller (kannel), Taavi Kerikmäe (piano), Vox Clamantis, Anna Paradiso (harpsichord), Mario Caroli (bass flute), Julien Quentin (piano), Karin Dornbusch (clarinet) and Karolina Öhman (cello).

Erkki-Sven Tüür is Composer in Residence at Spannungen Festival

Spannungen Festival in Heimbach, Germany, presents composer Erkki-Sven Tüür. Program includes Tüür’s chamber and orchestra works. On June 23, a world premiere of „Lichttürme“ will be performed by Christian Tetzlaff (violin), Tanja Tetzlaff (cello) and Lars Vogt (piano).

TREFFPUNKT #2

Today, on June 1, the joint concert „Treffpunkt #2“ of students of Tallinn University Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and Tartu Heino Eller Music School will take place at the cafe Seitse 7.

Winners of the Digital Composition Contest

April 27, 2017 at the end of the Tallinn University Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School 7th Teacher Training Seminar TTS2017 the award ceremony of the TLU BFM 4th Digital Composition Contest took place. The contest stays to be popular – more than 40 pieces where applied – and it is the first (since 2014) and only in Estonia in its specialization on school children’s digital electronic dance music, soundtrack/experimental music and, first time, audiovisual category.

Conference on Arvo Pärt’s music in New York

„Arvo Pärt: Sounding the Sacred” is an international conference within the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, in collaboration with the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University. The conference is being held on 1–4 May 2017 in New York City and focuses on the sonic and spiritual effect of Arvo Pärt’s music.

CD „Moorland elegies“ by composer Tõnu Kõrvits

Record label Ondine has released Tõnu Kõrvits’s CD „Moorland elegies“, where composer’s music is performed by Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and conductor Risto Joost.

Music of Erkki-Sven Tüür in European, Middle East and American concert halls

In April, music of Erkki-Sven Tüür can be listened in Israel, Latvia, Germany, Sweden, USA and Estonia.

Three new albums with music by Jaan Rääts

Dutch pianist Jeroen Riemsdijk has released three albums with music by Jaan Rääts. One of them contains two piano cycles: 24 Marginals, Op. 65, and 24 Light Pieces, Op. 85, other two present Rääts’s ten piano sonatas.

Estonian Music Days to begin

On April 6, Estonian Music Days will launch in Tallinn. The 38th edition of Estonian biggest festival of new commissions brings this year over 25 premieres to the audience. Performers are Estonian top musicians and collectives like Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Vox Clamantis, Estonian Cello Ensemble and others. Festival’s artistic directors are composers Helena Tulve and Timo Steiner, organiser is Estonian Composers’ Union.

Tallinn Music Week

One of Europe’s leading city festivals takes place in Tallinn from March 27 to April 2. The core agenda of TMW 2017 is creative impact with shared vision and common action, encompassing subjects like sustainable development, equality, diversity and special needs, future skills and smarter governance.

New album of Erkki-Sven Tüür

In February, record label Ondine released Erkki-Sven Tüür’s new album, where composer’s orchestral music is performed by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Hannu Lintu.

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s concert tour in USA

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under the baton of Kaspars Putniņš will be on tour in USA and Canada in February. Tour consists of 16 concerts, four last ones will be given together with Sarasota Orchestra and their conductor Anu Tali. A cappella program includes music by Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Jean Sibelius, Alfred Schnittke, Sergey Rachmaninoff, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Georgy Sviridov.

In memoriam Veljo Tormis (7.08.1930–21.01.2017)

Beloved composer Veljo Tormis has deceased.

New cD with Urmas Sisask's Starry Sky Cycle No. 1 "Northern Sky".

Dutch pianist Jeroen Riemsdijk has released a CD with Urmas Sisask’s piano music that contains Starry Sky Cycle No. 1 “Northern Sky”.

Anu Tali conducts concert of Estonian music in Munich

On January 13, Anu Tali conducts Munich Radio Orchestra (Münchner Rundfunkorchester) in Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Munich. Concert in the series „Paradisi gloria“ introduces works by three Estonian composers: Arvo Pärt’s Festina lente and Summa, Lepo Sumera’s Symphony No. 6 and Tõnu Kõrvits’s Elegies of Thule.

Grand Old Lady of Estonian music – Ester Mägi – celebrates her 95th birthday

On January 10 at 7 pm, concert dedicated to the 95th birthday of composer Ester Mägi will take place in Tallinn Niguliste Church. Ester Mägi’s finespun and subtle music has been admired and loved both in Estonia and abroad. The performers at the jubilee concert are members of the Association of Estonian Professional Musicians.