Estonian composers

Started by Maciek, July 14, 2008, 05:33:29 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Roy Bland


vers la flamme

I love Arvo Pärt, whose (great) music I feel is sometimes unjustly maligned by certain "serious" classical listeners. I (sometimes) like Eduard Tubin. It's my (very limited!) understanding that these are two of the most important composers in Estonian music. Who else is up there? I know there is also Eugen Kapp and his Kalevipoeg ballet, which was recently recommended to me. I'd appreciate other recommendations!

Symphonic Addict

Kaljo Raid with his magnificent 1st Symphony is a clear first candidate. Lepo Sumera, Eino Tamberg, Heino Eller, Artur Lemba. Each of these has, at least, an interesting work to be discovered and enjoyed.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vandermolen

#43
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 11, 2020, 06:53:41 PM
Kaljo Raid with his magnificent 1st Symphony is a clear first candidate. Lepo Sumera, Eino Tamberg, Heino Eller, Artur Lemba. Each of these has, at least, an interesting work to be discovered and enjoyed.
Raid's First Symphony is magnificent IMO. I also like Sumera, especially Symphony No.2 and all of Tubin's symphonies but especially the under appreciated No.1 and also No.2 'Legendary' another magnificent work, No.3 'Heroic' and nos. 4,5,6 and 10. More recently I've been exploring, with much pleasure, the new Heino Eller series on Ondine.
The CD below is a great introduction to Estonian music:
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Christo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 11, 2020, 06:53:41 PM
Kaljo Raid with his magnificent 1st Symphony is a clear first candidate. Lepo Sumera, Eino Tamberg, Heino Eller, Artur Lemba. Each of these has, at least, an interesting work to be discovered and enjoyed.
Fully agreed. In this category, primarily orchestral composers - in choral music Veljo Tormis equally monumental, yet completely different and independent from, Arvo Pärt - there's one more symphony, "Soviet realism" and all, yet fully enjoyable and honest, I dare to recommend, the 1955 Symphony No. 2 by yet another branch of the Kapp family, Villem Kapp (1912-1964).

And for strong of hearts of course Rudolf Tobias' masterpiece, the mammoth oratorio Des Jona Sendung, roughly comparable with Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln by Franz Schmidt. Love them both, Des Jona Sendung also showing unexpected depths and many glorious moments amidst a sometimes Mendelsohnian-archaic ocean of choral writing, but much more than that.   
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

vandermolen

#45
Quote from: Christo on January 11, 2020, 11:57:18 PM
Fully agreed. In this category, primarily orchestral composers - in choral music Veljo Tormis equally monumental, yet completely different and independent from, Arvo Pärt - there's one more symphony, "Soviet realism" and all, yet fully enjoyable and honest, I dare to recommend, the 1955 Symphony No. 2 by yet another branch of the Kapp family, Villem Kapp (1912-1964).

And for strong of hearts of course Rudolf Tobias' masterpiece, the mammoth oratorio Des Jona Sendung, roughly comparable with Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln by Franz Schmidt. Love them both, Des Jona Sendung also showing unexpected depths and many glorious moments amidst a sometimes Mendelsohnian-archaic ocean of choral writing, but much more than that.
I especially like Tormis's 'Overture No.2'. He is another composer for me to explore more this year. I have the 'Forgotten Peoples' CD. I also like Kapp Symphony No.2. I think that the Chandos release is the same performance as on the BBC Music Magazine disc posted above:

Here's a review:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Dec07/Kapp_chan10441.htm

Forthcoming release:
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: vandermolen on January 11, 2020, 11:47:58 PM
Raid's First Symphony is magnificent IMO. I also like Sumera, especially Symphony No.2 and all of Tubin's symphonies but especially the under appreciated No.1 and also No.2 'Legendary' another magnificent work, No.3 'Heroic' and nos. 4,5,6 and 10. More recently I've been exploring, with much pleasure, the new Heino Eller series on Ondine.
The CD below is a great introduction to Estonian music:


I do remember that disc. Some fine works on it.

Quote from: Christo on January 11, 2020, 11:57:18 PM
Fully agreed. In this category, primarily orchestral composers - in choral music Veljo Tormis equally monumental, yet completely different and independent from, Arvo Pärt - there's one more symphony, "Soviet realism" and all, yet fully enjoyable and honest, I dare to recommend, the 1955 Symphony No. 2 by yet another branch of the Kapp family, Villem Kapp (1912-1964).

And for strong of hearts of course Rudolf Tobias' masterpiece, the mammoth oratorio Des Jona Sendung, roughly comparable with Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln by Franz Schmidt. Love them both, Des Jona Sendung also showing unexpected depths and many glorious moments amidst a sometimes Mendelsohnian-archaic ocean of choral writing, but much more than that.   

That Tobias work sounds right up my alley. Thanks for bringing it to this conversation.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Christo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 12, 2020, 12:05:26 PM

That Tobias work sounds right up my alley. Thanks for bringing it to this conversation.
Be careful, pick out the 'interesting parts first', it's quite a puzzling story and a nut to crack one by one, not as "easy" as the Schmidt mammoth, Tobias can be quite confusing at first hearing.  ???
(I once wrote an essay about it, was forced to crack it, not without reward).  :)
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

Daverz

I've been enjoying some recordings of Tõnu Kõrvits lately (on ECM and Ondine).  His music is on the lighter, more accessible side:

https://www.ecmrecords.com/artists/1455097120/tonu-korvits

[asin]B01BPHH2KW[/asin]

Mirror Image

I wish some enterprising label would devote an entire series to Ester Mägi. She deserves it!

vandermolen

Giving this a first spin.
Artur Lemba's Piano Concerto No.1 (1905 revised 1910) an enjoyable work, reminding me at times of Balakirev's PC:
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

Just discovered this lovely symphony by Cyrillus Kreek:

https://www.youtube.com/v/hESziETywok
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vandermolen

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on July 08, 2020, 05:40:38 PM
Just discovered this lovely symphony by Cyrillus Kreek:

https://www.youtube.com/v/hESziETywok

Sounds very nice Cesar. Surely a candidate for the favourite composer names thread as well.
:)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

#53
This is one of the most decidedly lovely forgotten PCs I know. There are passages that simply move me. It deserves an urgent modern recording!

https://www.youtube.com/v/rI_WWZZ5hLI


A photo of the composer:

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vandermolen

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on April 17, 2021, 04:24:46 PM
This is one of the most decidedly lovely forgotten PCs I know. There are passages that simply move me. It deserves an urgent modern recording!

https://www.youtube.com/v/rI_WWZZ5hLI


A photo of the composer:


Totally agree Cesar! Thanks for posting it.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Irons

+1

I am listening to the slow movement as I type this - quite beautiful with a rich vein of melancholy.

Far as I can tell a Melodiya recording from 1969.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

vandermolen

#56
Here is Kreek's Requiem.
There is a rather expensive CD available on Amazon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djaHYgjvF0A
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9je6iyoPrR4
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

kyjo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on April 17, 2021, 04:24:46 PM
This is one of the most decidedly lovely forgotten PCs I know. There are passages that simply move me. It deserves an urgent modern recording!

https://www.youtube.com/v/rI_WWZZ5hLI


A photo of the composer:



Oh yes, it's a work of sheer beauty! With the welcome surge in interest in female composers recently, hopefully Auster will receive some attention!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

calyptorhynchus

What is it about the Baltic republics that makes them produce so many great composers? I guess one thing is that they comprise a small geographical area which (even in Soviet times) was divided into three because of the three different languages and cultures (Estonian/Latvian/Lithuanian). I guess the same would go for Scandinavia with its division into Denmark/Sweden/Norway.
Perhaps if in England the government poured money into regional orchestras and music conservatories (eg West Country/East Anglia/Midlands/Lancashire/Yorkshire/Northumberland) then over a generation five times as many composers would emerge.

Only dreaming.
'Many men are melancholy by hearing music, but it is a pleasing melancholy that it causeth.' Robert Burton

Symphonic Addict

My first encounter with Tamberg's Trumpet Concerto. Very dynamic work which has some ideas that sort of remind of Shostakovich in some passages.

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky