PICS OF GLASPERLENSPIEL 2010

Photos by Ahto Sooaru

Thu July 15th, Tartu St John’s Church, Opening Concert

Sat July 15th, Tartu Town Hall, Brass Echo

Sat July 17th, Tartu St John’s Church, Moonlight Sonata

Tue July 20th, Püssirohukelder, Terem Quartet

Thu July 15th, Festival Club – Vilde, photo exhibition Homo sapiens 2009

Mon July 19th, Tartu St John’s Church, Sumera – 60

Glasperlenspiel-festivals, Glasperlenspiel on Facebook, Glasperlenspiel 2013, Glasperlenspiel 2012, Glasperlenspiel 2011, Glasperlenspiel 2009, Glasperlenspiel 2008, Glasperlenspiel 2007, Glasperlenspiel 2006, Glasperlenspiel 2005, Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004

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GLASPERLENSPIEL MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010

A joint project of ERP and the city of Tartu

The festival Glasperlenspiel (‘The Glass Bead Game’) directed by Peeter Vähi has got its inspiration from the novel by Hermann Hesse. It is certainly a very special musical event in Estonian summer where music lovers can enjoy performers like Australian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus, Quintet of Berliner Philharmoniker, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Anderszewski, Olli Mustonen, Kristjan Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Christoph Eschenbach, etc, as well as the leading musicians of Estonia.

Festival program

● Thu July 15th at 8 pm, Tartu St John’s Church (live broadcasting by Estonian Broadcasting Corporation)
OPENING CONCERT
Tallinn Sinfonietta, Slava Grigoryan (guitar / Australia), Rémi Boucher (guitar / Canada), conductor Risto Joost
Program: Mozart, Rodrigo, Kaumann (première of Symphony), Vähi
Live broadcasting on Klassikaraadio

Slava Grigoryan has emerged in the past decade as one of the world’s most original classical guitarists.  Born in Kazakhstan in 1976 and raised in Australia, Slava has been performing since he was eight and with major international orchestras since he was 15, including the London Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed at concerts and festivals in Europe, Asia, North and South America, including a Great Guitars Tour with the legendary flamenco guitarist Paco Peña.
As a major prizewinner at the Tokyo International Classical Guitar Competition, Slava was signed by Sony Music Entertainment Australia under Sony Classical in 1995 and has since released four solo albums. His debut classical album for ABC Classics, Sonatas and Fantasies, was awarded Best Classical Album at the 2002 ARIA Awards.  2003 saw the release of 2 new albums on the ABC Classics label – Play (with Len Grigoryan) and Saffire (the Australian Guitar Quartet), which also went on to win the 2003 Best Classical Album ARIA. In 2004, Slava recorded and released another 2 collaborative CDs – Nostalgica with Saffire and Brazil with flautist Jane Rutter.
Slava has received the ‘Mo Award’ for Instrumentalist of the Year and in 2002, toured for Musica Viva with his brother, Len Grigoryan.  The two enjoyed another highly successful Australia-wide tour in 2003 following the release of Play.

Conductor Risto Joost studied singing as well as choral and orchestral conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music and received further training at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In spring 2008 Risto Joost graduated from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm majoring in orchestral conducting with Prof Jorma Panula. He has attended the conducting master classes by Neeme Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Eri Klas, Paul Mägi and in early music master classes by Paul Hillier and Nigel North.
In 1999 Risto Joost founded the chamber choir Voces Musicales, in 2002, an instrumental Ensemble Voces Musicales was estabilished. Since September 2006 Risto Joost is the principal conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Tallinn Music High School and since 2008, also of the Tallinn Sinfonietta founded by him. Since autumn 2009 Risto Joost holds the position of chorus director and orchestra conductor at the Estonian National Opera and since 2010 the artistic adviser to Glasperlenspiel Festival.
He has conducted the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Baroque Orchestra, Corelli Baroque Orchestra, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra as well as the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Male Choir RAM, Swedish Radio Choir, State Choir Latvija, Ars Nova Copenhagen, the Netherlands Chamber Choir. Since year 2000 Risto Joost has regularly participated in the Estonian Music Days and Nyyd Festival, conducting approximately 50 première performances commissioned from various composers. In June 2007 he made his debut in the Estonian National Opera conducting Erkki-Sven Tüür’s opera Wallenberg.

Rémi Boucher, Rodrigo Concierto d’Aranjuez. Adagio, mp3, 122 sec
Slava Grigoryan & Risto Joost, Vähi The White Concerto, mov III, fragm, 112 sec, mp3
Listen to the whole concert

● Thu July 15th at 7 pm, Viljandi St Paul’s Church (in co-operation with Viljandi Early Music Festival)
Fri July 16th at 7 pm Tartu St John’s Church
European Union Chamber Orchestra, Carlo Torlontano (Alphorn / Italy)
Program: Telemann, L Mozart, W A Mozart, D’Aquila, Britten

Already the more than 4 m long alphorn played by Carlo Torlontano on the world’s stages is impressive in itself, but listening to classical music performed on it is a unique experience.

European Union Chamber Orchestra, Mozart, Symphony No 29, fragm, 88 sec, mp3

● Fry July 16th at 10 pm, Tartu St John’s Church
GUITAR NIGHT
Grigoryan Guitar Duo (Australia), Rémi Boucher (guitar / Canada)
Program: Bach, Debussy, Towner, Lovelady, Boucher, Lecuona, Domeniconi, E Grigoryan, L Grigoryan, Gnattali...

Rémi Boucher was born in 1964 in Québec, Canada. He studied the classical guitar in the Montreal Conservatory with Jean Vallières and afterwards completed his studies in Spain, in Belgium at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and in Switzerland at the Basel Academy with O Ghiglia. He is now living in Austria. Those travels would not have been accomplished without the aid of the “Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec” and the Canada Council, which not only offered him many grants, but the Sylva Gelber Award, making Rémi Boucher the first guitarist in 30 years to have won this honor!
In addition to his many national and international prices, in less than 18 months, Rémi Boucher has conquered Europe, America and Asia winning at the unanimity the first prize of five of the most important international music competitions (Alessandria in Italy, Andrès Segovia in Palma de Mallorca in Spain, Havana in Cuba, Mauro Guiliani in Turin, and Fernando Sor in Roma).
Since that great success, he was invited by many major symphonic orchestras in all over the world, which gave him the opportunities to play up to ten of the greatest guitar concertos conducted in some cases by the famous Cuban composer Léo Brouwer. Because of the success coming out of his concerts his career expanded very fast and allowed him to play, to gives master classes and to participate as member of international juries in many of the most important competitions, music festivals and universities of the world with regularly renewed invitations.
His repertoire also includes all of the most famous guitar concertos (Rodrigo, Villa-Lobos, Tedesco, Ponce, Torroba, Brouwer, Abril, Guiliani and Vivaldi) just as well as the most interesting works for solo guitar from the Renaissance to the Modern music. Rémi Boucher is especially known for his excellent interpretation of impressionist and Spanish music that were strongly acclaimed by the critics in all over the world.
“Rémi Boucher has fire, passion, zest and poetry and he has them in spades. There is hope for the guitar when it is play like this…” (International Guitar Magazine)

Grigoryan Guitar Duo: Slava and Len Grigoryan both compose music for guitar and their effortless virtuosity and brilliant musicianship, both in the standard repertoire of the classical guitar as well as crossover material and contemporary composition, is highly regarded around the world. The brothers have recorded a new album for ABC Classics.
During the last years, the duo toured in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Australia, Europe, Russia.
Grigoryan Guitar Duo, fragm, 3 min 50 sec, mp3

● Sat July 17th at 5 pm, Pirogov Park (behind the Tartu Town Hall)
BRASS ECHO
Orchestra of Estonian Defence Forces, conductor Peeter Saan
Program: Kopetz, Vähi (première of a new work for carillon of Town Hall and military band)
In co-operation with Tartu Hanseatic Days

The Orchestra of the Estonian Defence Forces, fragm, 1 min 51 sec, mp3

● Sat July 17th at 8 pm, Tartu St John’s Church
MOONLIGHT SONATA
Kalle Randalu (piano, Estonia / Germany)
Program: Beethoven, Chopin

Kalle Randalu

• Professor at Freiburg and Karlsruhe Universities of Music
• 1999, was appointed Honorary Doctor by Estonian Academy of Music
• 2001, was awarded the Order of the White Star Class IV
• 1980, graduated from Prof Bruno Lukk’s piano class at the Estonian Academy of Music
• 1980–1983, postgraduate studies with Prof Lev Vlassenko at Moscow Conservatoire
• has received accolades at numerous international competitions
• since 1988 lives and works in Germany
• is known for his highly stylish and fine-tuned interpretations of classics, especially Mozart and Beethoven
• special place in his broad and versatile repertoire is taken by Estonian and German music
• has premiered many piano works
• performances all over Europe as well as in USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil and Russia
• has close collaboration with renowned orchestras and conductors of the world
• repertoire includes over 40 piano concertos
• as a superb chamber ensemble player has close ties with Mandelring Quartet and Trio di Clarone and together with many other highly acclaimed musicians in Germany belongs to the ensemble Villa Musica
• 13 LPs and over 30 CDs (Melodija, Antes, MDG)
• of the afore-mentioned, a collection of 7 CDs with all sonatas by Paul Hindemith, recorded together with Villa Musica has attracted special attention and was awarded Classical Award in Cannes, 1999 and ECHO Classics Award in Germany, 1998 and 2003

Beethoven. Moonlight Sonata, fragm, 2 min 24 sec, mp3
Download: photo of Kalle Randalu, jpg, 300 dpi, RGB, 3.5 MB

Sun July 18th at 9 pm, Tartu St John’s Church
Ensemble U: Tarmo Johannes (flute), Merje Roomere (violin), Levi-Danel Mägila (cello), Vambola Krigul (perc), Taavi Kerikmäe (piano)
Program: Stockhausen From the Seven Days

The first work of the so-called intuitive music From the Seven Days by Karlheinz Stockhausen, a 20th-century composer “with an extreme scope”, seeks to find a musical solution to the mutual influence of the spirit and the matter as well as to the conditions of their co-existence. The performance is preceded by the musicians’ 4-day fast and meditation period

Ensemble U: was founded in 2002 by Taavi Kerikmäe and Tarmo Johannes. Since then U: has been performing in numerous festivals of contemporary music like Days of New Music in Pärnu and Days of Estonian Music, NYYD festival, Days of St John’s Church in Tartu, Time of Music (Viitasaari, Finland), Baltoscandal (Rakvere), Meridian (Bucharest, Romania). The members of the ensemble are outstanding young musicians, many of them have been supplementing themselves on modern music in abroad. The ensemble works without conductor. U: has been first performer in Estonia of many masterworks of the present day’s most noted composers (Boulez, Stockhausen, Murail, Donatoni, Sciarrino, Romitelli, Xenakis, Grisey, etc). Next to that U: pays a lot of attention to performing experimental and improvisational music. The ensemble works actively to broaden the idea of different types of scores as sources of music (graphical scores, video, text, etc.). In the field of musical theatre U: has worked several times together with one of the internationally most renowned conceptual dance theatre artists in Estonia – Mart Kangro. In 2009 ensemble U: released album U: consisting of selected works by Estonian composers. International presentation of the CD took place as a virtual concert in Estonian Virtual Embassy in Second Life. In September 2009 Ensemble U: was honoured with Music Award of Estonian Cultural Endowment.

● Sun July 18th at 10 pm, Vilde (Vallikraavi Str 4)
FESTIVAL CLUB
Ensemble The Shin (Georgia), Aleksandr Chumburidze (dance, Georgia), Valts Pūce (composer, accordion, vocal / Latvia), Ilona Hanina & Kristīne Kārkle-Purina (vocal / Latvia), Normunds Šnē (oboe / Latvia), Raimonds Ozols (violin, Latvia), Valters Pūce (cello, Latvia)
Program Es arī (Me too) – classical, folk, jazz

● Mon July 19th at 6 pm, Vilde (Vallikraavi Str 4)
FESTIVAL CLUB
Steppenwolf, a film adaptation of Hermann Hesse’s novel of the same name, 1974, screenwriter Fred Haines, directors Michelangelo Antonioni and John Frankenheimer

● Mon July 19th at 9 pm, Tartu St John’s Church
SUMERA – 60
Tallinn Sinfonietta, Janne Ševtšenko (soprano), Kadri-Ann Sumera (synthesizer, piano), conductor Risto Joost, narrator Peeter Volkonski, Jüri Tallinn (video director), Siim Allas (light engineer, Theatre Vanemuine), Peeter Vähi (sound)
Sumera: chamber music, chamber opera Olivia meistriklass / Olivia’s Master Class
In co-operation with Lepo Sumera Society
Sumera, Olivia’s Master Class, live, fragm, 2 min 48 sec, mp3

● Tue July 20th at 8 pm Püssirohukelder (Lossi Str 28)
Terem Quartet (St Petersburg): Andrei Konstantinov (soprano domra), Alexei Barshtshev (alto domra), Andrei Smirnov (bayan), Mikhail Dzjudze (bass balalaika)
Program: Bach, Schubert
After the concert live DVD-recordings from Glasperlenspiel 2009 (Irina Zahharenkova, Kristjan Randalu & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra)

Terem Quartet was formed by four students of the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1986. A ‘terem’ is an old traditional Russian wooden house with tower, which brings together totally different kinds of people and different musical trends. From their first appearances Terem Quartet overthrew the Soviet era stereotype of folk music. The band could not be classified into any of existing music categories or genres. Their music has always been created as a collaborative effort. They followed the traditions of the Skomorokh ensemble style of performance of Ancient Russia. Sources confirm that folk instrumental music-making in Ancient Russia was mostly collective, unlike the Western and Oriental tradition. That is, music was always invented and performed through a collective process.
Terem’s musicians have felt and developed the most essential phenomena of the closing of the 20th cent: the idea of style diversity, dialogue thinking, and synthesis of different musical trends within one style. In each case, their versions of music, be it European classics or traditional melodies, are always provocative and unexpected for the audience. One of the first performances of Terem took place at an All-Union competition in Moscow 1986 where they were met by ovations from the audience but were left unnoticed by the Jury. Today this original ensemble playing on Russian traditional folk instruments is known almost all over the world. The quartet have performed in the Queen Elizabeth Hall and at St John’s Smith Square of London, in the Olympia Hall of Paris, in Frankfurt Alte Opera, Berlin Passion Kirche and the Kremlin of Moscow. They have taken part in numerous international festivals like Edinburgh Festival, The Stars of White Nights in St Petersburg, The Autumn of Prague, Pori Jazz, Moscow Film Festival and many others in Japan, Finland, Australia, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, the USA and South Africa. The quartet has recorded 6 CDs. Their repertoire includes more than 100 different works from classical as well as popular music, Russian folklore and jazz which all have been arranged by the ensemble themselves.

Download: photo of Terem Quartet, jpg, 300 dpi, 4.37 MB

● Jul 15th – Sep 16th, 2010, Festival Club (Eduard Vilde, Vallikraavi Str 4): Photo exhibition Homo sapiens 2009

Download: festival-poster (pdf, 2.69 MB)
video-clip “Glasperlenspiel 2010”
See also pics from Glasperlenspiel-live
Press resonance

Special thanks: Hermann Hesse, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Lepo Sumera, Tartu City Government, Tartu St John’s Church, Estonian Defence Forces, Kass Arturi Külakino, Klassikaraadio, Jüri Sasi, Ilze Apsina, Ants Johanson, Kaie Herkel, Kaupo Kiis, Rita Hade, Kaia Lattikas, Anu Jaanson

Organizers:
Peeter Vähi – artistic director
Risto Joost – artistic advisor
Tiina Jokinen – management director
Kadri Kiis – assistant producer, accountant
Olavi Sööt – logistics
Piret Mikk – design
Tanel Klesment, Ants Viermann – sound engineer
Ahto Sooaru – marketing
Priit Reiman – festival club
Piano tuning – Ants Saluraid
Photos – John Wright, Kaupo Kikkas, archives of ERP, Peeter Vähi

                                           

See also: Glasperlenspiel-festivals; Glasperlenspiel on Facebook, Glasperlenspiel 2014, Glasperlenspiel 2013, Glasperlenspiel 2012; Glasperlenspiel 2011; Glasperlenspiel 2009; Glasperlenspiel 2008; Glasperlenspiel 2007; Glasperlenspiel 2006; Glasperlenspiel 2005; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004
Press resonance
animated symbols of Glasperlenspiel

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GLASPERLENSPIEL MUSIC FESTIVAL 2009

A joint project of ERP and the city of Tartu
Artistic director – Peeter Vähi

The festival Glasperlenspiel (‘The Glass Bead Game’) directed by Peeter Vähi has got its inspiration from the novel by Hermann Hesse. It is certainly a very special musical event in Estonian summer where music lovers can enjoy performers like Australian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus, Quintet of Berliner Philharmoniker, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Anderszewski, Olli Mustonen, Kristjan Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Christoph Eschenbach, etc, as well as the leading musicians of Estonia.

● Sat, Jun 27th at 4 pm Vormsi Schooling Centre
PRESS CONFERENCE

● Sat, Jun 27th at 8 pm Vormsi island
ESTONIAN NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Gianluca Littera (harmonica, Italy)
Conductor – Paul Mägi
Program: Dvořák, composers’-trio Krigul-Valkonen-Steiner (world première), Villa-Lobos
whole concert - live recording
H Villa-Lobos. Harmonica Concerto, fragm, 179 sec, mp3

send / receive / resound by Ülo Krigul, Mariliis Valkonen and Timo Steiner has been commissioned by Glasperlenspiel Festival. The festival’s initial idea was to compose music based on ringing tones of mobile phones. Different parts of the work have also been inspired by all possible means of carrying sound as information in history: an attentive listener can certainly notice even chronological succession – from wooden gong to modern times.

The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) traces its roots back to Dec 18, 1926, to the first concert broadcast by Tallinn Radio. Today the orchestra has 100 musicians. The average season includes 60 concerts.
The ERSO records music for Estonian Radio regularly, and has also worked with such recording companies as: Virgin Classics, Alba Records, BIS, Antes Edition, Globe, Signum, Ondine, Warner Classics / Finlandia Records, ERP, Melodija and others.
Past and present conductors: Igor Stravinski, Kurt Sanderling, Arvids and Māris Jansons, Kurt Mazur, Jevgeni Svetlanov, Paavo Berglund, Leif Segerstam, Yuri Temirkanov, Nikolai Alexeev, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Kristjan Järvi, Muhai Tang, Gilbert Kaplan, En Shao, John Storgards, Rolf Gupta, Gintaras Rinkevičius, Jorma Panula, Olari Elts, Tõnu Kaljuste, Paul Mägi, Andres Mustonen, and many others. Guest artists: José Carreras, David and Igor Oitsrakh, Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko, Liana Issakadze, Vladimir Spivakov, Viktor Tretiakov, Sergei Stadler, Yuri Bashmet, Natalia Gutman, Arto Noras, David Geringas, Gennady Zut, Emil Gilels, Boris Berman, Olli Mustonen, Håkan Hagegard, Peter Donohoe, Thomas Indermühle, Frederic Chiu, Kalle Randalu and many others.
In 1974 Gianluca Littera began to study violin at the Conservatorio Musicale G B Martini in Bologna and later on he continued his studies under Maestro Dino Asciolla in Rome. In 1985 he graduated in violin at the Conservatorio G Rossini receiving the highest vote and honorable mention. Since many years he dedicated himself to study the harmonica.
Littera plays only chamber and symphonic works that are exclusively arranged for the harmonica by composers such as: Heitor Villa Lobos (Concerto for harmonica and orchestra), Darius Milhaud (Suite Anglaise for harmonica and orchestra), Gordon Jacob, Vaughan Williams, William Walton, Luciano Chailly (there are over 100 symphonic and chamber compositions for the Harmonica).
He was guest at some of the most important International Festivals and Musical Institutions such as: Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia (Italy), Ravenna Festival (Italy), Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado se São Paulo (Brazil), Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa (Spain), Moscow Chamber Music (Russia), Orchestre Régionnal de Cannes (France), Filarmónica de Acapulco (Mexico), Orquesta Filarmónica de la OFUNAM (Mexico), Orquestra Sinfônica da Bahia (Brazil), Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (Spain), I Solisti Veneti (Italy), Orquesta Sinfónica de Colombia, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria (Spain), Orchestra di Roma e del Lazio (Italy), I solisti di Napoli (Italy), Milano Classica (Italy), Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese (Italy), Orchestra di Piacenza (Italy), Cameristi Italiani (Italy), Collegium Musicum (Italy), Asolo Musica (Italy), Dubrovnik Summer Festival (Croatia), Festival Generation Virtuoses Antibes (France) and many more.
In 1997 Littera recorded the Concerto for harmonica and orchestra by Heitor Villa Lobos for the Arte-Nova BMG.
Paul Mägi has graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music in 1980 as a trumpet player and from the Moscow State Conservatoire (1984, under Prof Gennady Rozhdestvensky) as a conductor.
As a guest conductor Paul Mägi has directed outstanding orchestras in Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Norway, Italy, Bulgaria, Poland Switzerland, Ecuador, Finland, Sweden, Ireland and Russia (the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the Wexford Festival Opera, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Sweden, to name but a few).
From 1990 to 1994 Paul Mägi was the artistic director and chief conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra in Riga. He toured with the Latvian orchestra in Europe, taking in some of the most famous concert-halls of Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria etc. The orchestra participated in international festivals like Festival Costa do Estoril in Portugal, Chichester Festivities in Great Britain, Wiltz Festival in Luxembourg, Festival de Wallonie in Belgium, Festival de Saint-Riquier, Festival Hardelot in France; they played at Amsterdam’s famous Concertgebow and at Fetes Musicales en Touraine they performed together with S Richter.
1995–2004 Paul Mägi was the artistic director and chief conductor of the Estonian National Opera. He was the music director and conductor of many productions, including J Strauss’ Wiener Blut and Die Fledermaus, Nicolai’s Die lustige Weiber von Windsor, Puccini’s La Bohème, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Verdi’s Nabucco and La Traviata, Bizet’s Carmen, Dargomyzhsky’s Rusalka.

July 16th–23th, 2009 Tartu

● Thu, Jul 16th at 8 pm St John church, Tartu
BALTIC YOUTH PHILHARMONIC
Peter Jablonski (piano, Sweden / UK)
Conductor – Kristjan Järvi
Program:  Brahms, Mendelssohn, Beethoven-Senderovas (world première)
Live recording

The orchestra consisting of the most talanted young musicians from the Baltic Sea countries and the once child-prodigy pianist Peter Jablonski perform quite unusual repertoire: Piano Concerto in D major, Op 61 (piano version of the Violin Concerto) by Beethoven, the 4th additional movement of which has been composed by Anatolius Senderovas.

Kristjan Järvi (b 1972, Tallinn) is chief conductor of the Vienna Tonkünstler Symphony Orchestra. As a child he moved with his family to New York, where he studied piano and conducting at the Manhattan School of Music. He attended master classes in piano taught by Tatiana Nikolayeva in Salzburg. In New York in 1993, Kristjan Järvi founded the Absolute Ensemble, which today is one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles. CD recordings with Järvi and Absolute Ensemble have been nominated for a Grammy Award and won the German Record Critics’ Prize. As musical director of Absolute Ensemble, Järvi plays repertoire ranging from the 17th to the 21st century, from Baroque to rock. He is an avid explorer and advocate of contemporary music and has conducted the premières of numerous works by such composers as Daniel Schnyder, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Charles Colemann, and Peeter Vähi. From 1998 to 2000 Kristjan Järvi was assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conducted a sensational debut with this orchestra in the Hollywood Bowl. Since the 2000–01 season, he has been Principal Conductor of the Norrlands Operan and Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. He appears world-wide as a guest conductor of such fine symphony orchestras as the Hallé Orchestra of Manchester, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, the Radio Symphony Orchestras of Berlin and Frankfurt, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Italy, the Adelaide Symphony and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
 

● Fri, Jul 17th at 8 pm St John church, Tartu
QUINTET OF BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER
Program: Dvořák, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, J Strauss

Founded in 2005, the Quinet of Berliner Philharmoniker is a high-level ensemble composed of musicians linked by friendship as well as by a long experience in chamber music and ennobled by the presence of internationally renowned musicians.
Born in one of the most important orchestras in the world, Berliner Philharmoniker, the ensemble has the intention to deepen the interpretation of the masterpieces for quintet of Mozart, Brahms, Dvořák, Bruckner, also playing very effective transcripts of compositions originally written for different organic.
Their repertoire goes from Baroque to Classical to Romantic and more often through the co-operation of some famous soloists of the Berliner winds as Wenzel Fuchs, Albrecht Mayer, Dominik Wollenweber and Daniele Damiano.
The Quinet of Berliner Philharmoniker has played in important festivals such as Salzburg Festival, Chopin Festival, Festival de Nancy, Festival de la Chaise - Dieu, Festival de la Vézère, Euro Festival in Rome, ValgardenaMusika, Emilia Romagna Festival gathering everywhere significant appreciations of public and critics. The next commitments will see them perform in a tour in France as well as some concerts in Switzerland, Italy and Germany where they already held a major concert in the festival of chamber music of the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Hall.

● Sat, Jul 18th at 8 pm St John church, Tartu
THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST
Chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica
Program: Haydn

Founded in 1997 by the renowned violinist Gidon Kremer, the Grammy-award winning chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica is already considered one of the most prominent international ensembles in Europe. Although it originally began as a “birthday present to myself” to celebrate his 50 years of life in 1997, Gidon Kremer immediately envisaged the potential behind the 27-member ensemble of young musicians drawn from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as a medium to share his rich artistic experience with the new generation and, at the same time, to promote and inspire the musical and cultural life of the Baltics.
Having opted to make the world their permanent home, Kremerata Baltica annually performs about 60 concerts during six annual tours throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Regular performances in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow, and New York in the greatest halls are followed by appearances at renowned music festivals such as Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, the Prague Spring, the BBC Proms in London, etc.
While the majority of the concerts are led by and performed with Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica has appeared with celebrated conductors and soloists such as Jessye Norman, David Geringas, Boris Pergamenschikow, Tatiana Grindenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Christoph Eschenbach, Kent Nagano and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
With the Nonesuch Records label, Kremerata Baltica has made 7 recordings under the label, one of which After Mozart received the Grammy Award 2002 in the cathegory of classical music. Their last Nonesuch recording, Russian Seasons, was released last year. Their first recording with Deutsche Grammophon, Kremerland, including contemporary works dedicated to and premiered by the ensemble, was recently released.
A Piazzolla. Kremerata Baltica, live rec, fragm, 92 sec, mp3

Joseph Haydn described his opus as a “totally new composition of purely instrumental music, subdivided into 7 sonatas” when he offered it for sale to his English publisher in 1787. He was convinced that it expressed the feelings of someone hanging on the cross “in such a way that even the most inexperienced could feel the suffering deep in themselves”.

● Sat, Jul 18th at 10 pm Püssirohukelder (Tartu, Lossi Str 28)
TANGO-BALLET
Tiit Peterson (guitar), Allan Jakobi (accordion), Dmitri Harchenko (choreography, dance), Helen Org-Veidebaum (dance), Peeter Volkonski (narrator)
Program: Piazzolla, Pujol

● Sat, Jul 18th at 7 pm Jõhvi Concert Hall (in co-operation with Seitsme Linna Muusika)
Sun, Jul 19th at 8 pm Tartu University aula
ENTER DENTER
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra
Kristjan Randalu (piano, Germany)
Live DVD-recording

Tallinn Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1993. The conductor Tõnu Kaljuste has bounded the widely well-known Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir with TCO’s activities. The members of the orchestra are all outstanding musicians, who often perform as soloists and are invited to perform with various other orchestras and ensembles.
TCO has performed in many prestigious music festivals: Bach Cantatas Festival in Milan, Bremen Music Festival, Huddersfield Festival of Contemporary Music, etc. Concert tours have taken the orchestra and the choir to Canada, the USA, Japan and to many European countries.
The orchestra’s instrumental programs have been prepared mainly together with guest conductors including Richard Tognetti, Terje Tonnesen, Patrick Strub, Valentin Zhuk, Silvio Barbato, Samuel Wong, Olari Elts and Paul Mägi. In 1995–96 the artistic director and chief conductor of the orchestra was Juha Kangas, from 1996–97 to 2000–01 it has been Tõnu Kaljuste, the present artistic director is Eri Klas.
In 1993, TCO and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir recorded the CD Te Deum. For a year, this record has been on the world’s Top Ten list and has gained exalting appraisals from the critics. Crystallisatio by Erkki-Sven Tüür and Litany by Arvo Pärt were released by ECM in 1996, and another record by ECM Neenia released in 2001 is music for strings by Heino Eller.
Kristjan Randalu & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, fragm, live, 3 min 17 sec, mp3
whole concert

● Mon, Jul 20th at 8 pm St John church, Tartu
IRINA ZAHHARENKOVA (harpsichord, Hammerklavier, piano)

Live DVD-recording (a joint project of ERP and Soft Spark Investments)

Irina Zahharenkova was born in Kaliningrad, Russia. 1995–2000 studied at Estonian Academy of Music (piano: Prof Lilian Semper; harpsichord: Prof Maris Valk-Falk). In 2003 obtained master’s degree at the Estonian Academy of Music (piano: Prof L Semper) and is currently to continuing doctor-studies with the same professor. Since 2002 student at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland (Prof Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna).

Has been prize-winner in several music competitions: 2003 – II prize and special prize for interpretation of M K Čiurlionis’ works in M K Čiurlionis International Piano Competition; 2004 – I prize, audience prize and special prize for interpretation of compulsory contemporary piece in “Premio Jaén” International Piano Competition, Spain; 2005 – II prize, special prize for interpretation of French music and special prize for interpretation of contemporary music in Epinal International Piano Competition, France; 2005 – I prize and special prize for interpretation of G Enescu’s Sonata in G Enescu International Piano Competition, Romania; 2006 – I prize, special prize for interpretation of Mozart’s sonata and special prize for interpretation of A Casagrande’s works in Alessandro Casagrande International Piano Competition, Italy; 2006 – I prize and audience prize in J S Bach International Piano Competition, Leipzig, Germany.
W A Mozart. Variations Lison dormait, fortepiano, live, fragm, 3 min, mp3
whole concert

● Tue, Jul 21st at 8 pm St John church, Tartu
AN EVENING HYMN
Ensemble Voces Musicales: Risto Joost (artistic director, counter tenor), Imbi Tarum (harpsichord), Tõnu Jõesaar (viola da gamba), Robert Staak (lute)
Program: Dowland, Purcell

Risto Joost also pursues an active solo career as a counter-tenor. His solo repertoire includes music from the Renaissance and Baroque period as well as from the 20th century. He has performed at the Steve Reich Festival (UK), Musica Antiqua Festival in Bruges (Belgium), Vantaa Early Music Festival (Finland), Stockholm Early Music Festival (Sweden), Riga Early Music Festival (Latvia), Haapsalu Early Music Festival (Estonia), and Nyyd Festival (Estonia). He has performed with orchestras such as Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Baroque Orchestra, Meder Consort (Estonia), Corelli Consort (Estonia), Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Sansara (Latvia), Øresund Baroque Orchestra, Concerto Copenhagen (Denmark), Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Phantasm (UK). Since 2003 he has been involved with the vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices (artistic director Paul Hillier).

Imbi Tarum:

• graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music, studied piano with Prof Bruno Lukk
• postgraduate studies of harpsichord with Ton Koopman and Vaughan Schlepp
• played the harpsichord in early music consort Hortus Musicus for 14 years
• currently is playing in ensembles Tallinn Baroque and Corelli Consort, participates in the Baroque programs of Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
•  has co-operated with soloists X Gao, E Hargis, E Parmentier, H van der Kamp, I Paul, L van Dael, H-R Hauck, J Cortadellas, K Urb, K Plaas
• teaches harpsichord and basso continuo at the Estonian Academy of Music, holds summer courses in Estonia and Finland
• chairman of the Estonian Guild of Harpsichord Friends and artistic director of Harpsichord Days
  Imbi Tarum, harpsichord, fragm, mp3, 90 sec

● Wed, Jul 22nd at 8 pm St John church, Tartu
PARDON, FRYDERYK!
Meri Vardanyan (qanon, Armenia)
Ralf Taal (piano)
Program: Chopin, Sumera

Meri Vardanyan, qanon, fragm, 110 sec, mp 3

● Thu, Jul 23rd at 8 pm St John church, Tartu
Wed, Aug 19th, Riga, Latvia (in co-operation with International Sacred Music Festival)
ALSO SPRACH NIETZSCHE
Estonian National Male Choir RAM
Handbell Ensemble Arsis
Helen Lokuta (mezzo-soprano), Andrus Kirss (tenor), Mareks Lobe (basso)
Conductor: Risto Joost
Program: Vähi

On the NYYD New Music Festival in 1997 Supreme Silence and in the music program of EXPO 2000 Hannover, a new work by the composer Peeter Vähi was performed. The press reviews ranged from laudatory to downright denouncing. The work was hailed as the highest achievement or condemned as a total failure. Some reviewers fathomed its religious depth, others thought that the pseudo-religious story was there to compensate the lack of musical accomplishment. The composer was praised for his originality of ideas and the novelty of his musical language as much as critized for shameless imitation. It is very seldom that one meets such contradictory opinions from the critics.
What is Supreme Silence? This is an approximately 50-minute long composition for solo voice, male choir and handbell ensemble, in places supplemented by Buddhist musical instruments and discrete electronics. The subtitles give us an idea of the overall tonality: Mandala Offering, Vajrasattva Mantra, Supreme Silence and Aspiration For The Pure Land. The second movement is based on the traditional Sanskrit mantra, the last on Tibetan lyrics by Lord Jigten Sumgon (1143–1217). Both texts have been specially chosen by His Holiness XXXVII Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, Head of the Buddhist Drikung Kagyu school. This is almost all that we know for certain about Supreme Silence. Everything else might be subject to debate, proof and contradiction.

And yet, what is Supreme Silence? It is the Glasperlenspiel, so characteristic of the end of the Millennium, where the spiritual and the secular, the oriental and the occidental, the analogue and the digital systems, the past and the present seem to be interwoven. In a 1993 CD introduction to one of Vähi’s compositions it says: “... in my eyes the 2000 years after the birth of Christ is like a philosophical-musical summary of the history of Europe.” And now, five years after, it seems that the composer has moved even further on the path of abstraction. Every page of the score radiates with the composer’s conviction that he is viewing “the end of world’s cultural history”. What comes next? Or does anything come at all? (from the article by K W Damm, Vienna)

Handbell ensemble Arsis was grown up from Arsis chamber choir – when the conductor of chamber choir, Aivar Mäe heard handbell music in the USA for the first time, it became his fixed idea to bring this wonderful music also to Estonia, thus founding his own ensemble. It was the year 1991. It took two years explanatory work and preparations in both sides of the world and the idea became reality. In 1993 the representatives of the American Guild of Handbell Ringers visited Estonia, and brought the first 3 octaves of bells as a present to Aivar Mäe and his choir. By now Handbell Ensemble Arsis has one of the most perfect sets in the world that includes bells of 7 octaves. All the handbells in the set have been made in the USA, Malmark bell factory with whom Arsis has been co-operating already since 1993. The ensemble, having eight members, has toured in different places of the world. One of the most exotic places was the Republic of South Africa where Arsis participated in Eisteddfod festival and was awarded the Grand Prix. Already for 5 times Arsis has toured in the USA where the handbell music is most widely spread.
The ensemble is playing mostly arrangements of classical music but also a lot of original music. They have given out four CDs that include the original works by René Eespere (In dies) and Peeter Vähi (Handbell Symphony, Planet Cantata), the arrangements of folk songs by Tõnu Kõrvits (Awake, My Heart!), and also participated in the recording of The Flutish Kingdom. The recordings of Arsis are used in the soundtrack of the famous movie Alexander.

Supreme Silence, mov IV, Estonian National Male Choir RAM & Arsis, fragm, 3 min 11 sec, mp3

Conductor Risto Joost (b 1980) studied singing as well as choral and orchestral conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music, and received further training at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In spring 2008 Risto Joost graduated from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm majoring in orchestral conducting with Prof Jorma Panula. He has participated in the conducting masterclasses of Neeme Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Eri Klas, Paul Mägi and in early music masterclasses with Paul Hillier and Nigel North. In 1999 Risto Joost founded the chamber choir Voces Musicales. From 2001–02, Risto Joost was a singer in the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. In 2002, he founded his own orchestra, Ensemble Voces Musicales which is focused on performing Baroque and contemporary music. In March 2004, Risto Joost won the 1st prize in the 4th Competition for Young Estonian Choral Conductors in Tallinn. He has conducted the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Baroque Orchestra, Corelli Baroque Orchestra, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra as well as the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Male Choir RAM, Swedish Radio Choir, State Choir Latvija, Danish Radio Choir, Ars Nova Copenhagen. Since year 2000 Risto Joost has regularly participated in the Estonian Music Days and Nyyd Festival, conducting approximately 50 première performances commissioned from various composers. Since Sep 2006 Risto Joost is the principal conductor of the Tallinn Music High School Symphony Orchestra. In June 2007 he made his debut in the Estonian National Opera conducting Erkki-Sven Tüür’s opera Wallenberg.

● Mon, Nov 30th at 7 pm House of the Brotherhood of  Black Heads, Tallinn
AHMET KANNECİ – guitar & EKREM ÖZTAN – clarinet (Turkey)
Program: de Visee, Cosma, Shostakowich, Ramirez, Anonymous
In co-operation with the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Tallinn

Ahmet Kannecı (1957) was born in Turkey and began his studies in musicology with one of Turkey’s leading composers, Turgay Erdener, and continued later with İstemihan Tavıloğlu and Alı Sevgı. He concentrated on classical guitar in 1977 under the supervision by Julian Byzantine at Metu Department of Architecture. After graduating in 1981, he was awarded a scholarship by the Spanish Goverment for studies with José Tomas at Conservatorio Superior de Música Óscar Esplá de Alicante.
When Kanneci returned to his native country, he was the first to found the classical guitar departments at four different conservatoires in Turkey. In 1993 he was awarded the scholarship of Fulbight for research in the USA.
Ahmet Kannecı is the Honorary Doctor and award winner of several universities of Turkey. In addition to his musical activities in his native land, he appears in various European, Asian and American concert halls such as Museo Andrés Segovia (Spain), Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall (USA), Royal Festival Hall (UK), and Teatro Colón (Argentina).
Several modern composers such as Say, Cardoso, Ortiz, Bayraktar, Korkmaz, Tavıloğlu, Bosna,  Erdener, Cherubito, Padro, Walker, Toros, Shahidi, Hoshino, Terashima and Cuenca have dedicated their works to him.

Ekrem Öztan (1963) was born in Turkey, Ankara and started his music career in primary school. He continued his studies in Ankara State Conservatoire in 1973 majoring in clarinet and chamber music under Aykut Doğansoy. He has studied chamber music aslo with Prof Antonio Janigro at Salzburg’s Mozarteum in 1982 and graduated from Hacettepe University State Conservatoire with the highest degree. In 1983 he was awarded İhsan Doğramaci Excellent Performance Award, which gave him an opportunity to participate in the International Youth Festival in Aberdeen, Scotland on summer the same year. He was supported by British Council and Hacettepe University for this festival and has been chosen as a first clarinet in Festival Orchestras and has attended Professor Lewis Morrison clarinet and chamber music class at Festival Music School.
Since the graduation from conservatoire Ekrem Öztan has been teaching clarinet. He is the Chairman of Section of Clarinet and the Dean of Woodwind and Percussion Department in Hacettepe University and Ankara State Conservatoire.
Beside his activities as a teacher he gives recitals and performs as chamber musician in many cultural centres all over Turkey. He performs also as a soloist with several Turkish orchestras and played C. M. von Weber`s Clarinet Concerto No 2 with Turkish Air Force Band. In November 1995 he premiered Clarinet Concerto by Turkish new generation composer Turgay Erdener with Presidental Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antonio Pirolli. Ekrem Öztan has guest-performed also in England, Scotland, Austria, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and Syria.

Glasperlenpiel Club

Eduard Vilde Café

July 22nd at 10 pm: movie Lotman’s World (about the activity of Prof Yuri Lotman, meeting with film director Agne Nelk)
July 23rd at 6 pm: Nietzsche Evening with special guest Jaan Kaplinski and music composed by Friedrich Nietzsche
July 23rd, after the concert: Finale of Glasperlenspiel Festival

Virtual photo exhibition Glasperlenspiel in Retrospective

video-clip “Glasperlenspiel 2009”
Photos: Ben Ealovega, archives of ERP, P Vähi
Press resonance

Organizers:
Tiina Jokinen – management director
Kadri Kiis – assistant producer, accountant
Olavi Sööt – logistics
Piret Mikk – design
Tanel Klesment – sound engineer
Hedvig Lätt – PR
Priit Reiman – festival club

Special thanks: Estonian Cultural Endowment, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Tartu City Government, Tallinn Philharmonic Society, Eesti Kontsert, Tartu University, St John’s church, Vanemuine Concert Hall, Urmas Kruuse, Jüri Sasi, Priit Reiman, Tiia Teder, Vormsi county, Kulvo Tamra, audience of Tartu, Kaupo Kiis

See also: Glasperlenspiel-festivals; Glasperlenspiel on Facebook, Glasperlenspiel 2014, Glasperlenspiel 2013, Glasperlenspiel 2012; Glasperlenspiel 2011; Glasperlenspiel 2010; Glasperlenspiel 2008; Glasperlenspiel 2007; Glasperlenspiel 2006; Glasperlenspiel 2005; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004
Press resonance
animated symbols of Glasperlenspiel

Should you wish to subscribe for news and updates on festival programs about twice annually, please click here.

PICS OF GLASPERLENSPIEL 2008

Photos by Peeter Vähi

Fri 18th July
• Tartu Railway Station
• Saxophones’ Nutty Night
Anders Paulsson (soprano saxophone) & Tobias Quartet
• Quartet in F major by Mozart
 

Fri 18th July
• Tartu Railway Station
• Saxophones’ Nutty Night
Ulli A Ruetzel (saxophone)
• Improvisations on the photos from Silk Road  

Fri 18th July
• Tartu Railway Station
• Saxophones’ Nutty Night
• Audience
 

Tue 22nd July
• Tartu St John church
• Goldberg Variations
• Irina Zahharenkova (piano)

Wed 23rd July
• Tartu Gunpowder Cellar
• Carmina Burana Speciale
• State Choir Latvija

Wed 23rd July
• Tartu Gunpowder Cellar
• Carmina Burana Speciale
• DJ – Prince Peeter Volkonski

Sun 27th July
• Tartu former Soviet Air Force Unit
• Pro Patria • Helen Lokuta (mezzo soprano)

Sun 27th July
• Raadi former Soviet Air Force Unit, Tartu
• Pro Patria
 

See also: Glasperlenspiel-festivals; Glasperlenspiel on Facebook; Glasperlenspiel 2008 (in English); Klaaspärlimäng 2008 (in Estonian)
animated symbols of Glasperlenspiel

GLASPERLENSPIEL
MUSIC FESTIVAL 2007

A joint project of ERP and Eesti Kontsert
Artistic director – Peeter Vähi

The festival Glasperlenspiel (‘The Glass Bead Game’) directed by Peeter Vähi has got its inspiration from the novel by Hermann Hesse. It is certainly a very special musical event in Estonian summer where music lovers can enjoy performers like Australian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus, Quintet of Berliner Philharmoniker, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Anderszewski, Olli Mustonen, Kristjan Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Christoph Eschenbach, etc, as well as the leading musicians of Estonia.

Glasperlenspiel presents:
● Sun Feb 11th, 2007 Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn
GIDON KREMER – 60
KREMERATA BALTICA – 10
Soloists: Gidon Kremer (violin), Tatiana Grindenko (violin, Moscow), Andrey Pushkarev (vibraphone, Ukraine)
Program: Piazzolla, Schnittke, Korngold, Pärt, Silvestrov

Founded in 1997 by the renowned violinist Gidon Kremer, the Grammy-award winning chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica is already considered one of the most prominent international ensembles in Europe. Although it originally began as a “birthday present to myself” to celebrate his 50 years of life in 1997, Gidon Kremer immediately envisaged the potential behind the 27-member ensemble of young musicians drawn from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as a medium to share his rich artistic experience with the new generation and, at the same time, to promote and inspire the musical and cultural life of the Baltics.
Having opted to make the world their permanent home, Kremerata Baltica annually performs about 60 concerts during 6 annual tours throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Regular performances in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow, and New York in the greatest halls are followed by appearances at renowned music festivals such as Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, the Prague Spring and the BBC Proms, etc.
In the 30 year course of his distinguished career, violinist Gidon Kremer, born 1947, has established a worldwide reputation as one of the most original and compelling artists of his generation, praised for his high degree of individualism, his rejection of the well-trodden paths of interpretation, and his search for new possibilities.
Gidon Kremer began studying at the age of 4 with his father and grandfather, who both were professional violinists. At 16 he was awarded the 1st Prize of the Latvian Republic and 2 years later he began his studies with David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatoire. He went on to win prestigious awards including the 1976 Queen Elizabeth Competition and the 1st Prize in both the Paganini and Tchaikovsky International Competitions.
An exceptionally prolific recording artist, Gidon Kremer has made more than 100 albums, many of which brought him prestigious international awards and prizes: the Grand prix du Disque, Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, the Ernst-von-Siemens Musikpreis, the Bundesverdienstkreuz, the Premio dell’ Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Triumph Prize 2000, and in 2001 the Unesco Prize. In 2002 he and Kremerata Baltica were awarded with the Grammy for their latest Nonesuch recording After Mozart.
Gidon Kremer plays a Guarneri del Gesù “ex-David”, dated from 1730.

A Piazzolla. Verano Porteno, live rec, fragm, 92 sec, mp3
video-clip “Gidon Kremer 60”
See press resonance
 

Glasperlenspiel 2007

● Fri July 6th at 8 pm House of Blackheads (Pikk Str 26, Tallinn)
Sat July 7th at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall (Aida Str 4, Pärnu)
Sun July 8th at 8 pm St John church (Tartu)
EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Hélène Gueuret (oboe & English horn, France), Anna Biggin (violin), Eva Stegeman (violin, artistic director, Holland)

Program: Bach, Vivaldi, Händel, Cherubini, Mozart
EU Chamber Orchestra, Mozart, fragm, 88 sec, mp3

● Fri July 6th at 11 pm, Pärnu Concert Hall (Aida Str 4, Pärnu)
BUT NO REST FOR THE EAR...
Night-concert presenting the album “Oxymoron” by Erkki-Sven Tüür
NYYD Ensemble, artistic director Olari Elts
Program: Tüür, Milhaud, Lindberg
In co-operation with NYYD Ensemble

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms. Oxymoron is a Greek term derived from oxy (‘sharp’) and moros (‘dull’). Thus the word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron.

NYYD Ensemble: Mihkel Peäske (fl), Linda Vood (fl), Nils Rõõmussaar (ob), Toomas Vavilov (clar), Meelis Vind (clar), Jandra Puusepp (sax), Peeter Sarapuu (bsn), Esa Tapani (Fr horn), Kalle Koppel (Fr horn), Priit Aimla (tr), Roman Petuhhov (tr), Eduard Akulin (trb), Madis Metsamart (perc), Rein Roos (perc), Eda peäske (harp), Marrit Gerretz (piano), Harry Traksmann (1st vl), Juta Õunapuu (2nd vl), Torsten Tiebout (vla), Leho Karin (cello), Mati Lukk (dbl bass)

The ensemble was named after an international festival of new music that has been taking place in Tallinn since 1991; the NYYD Ensemble gave its 1st performance at the festival NYYD 1993. The Estonian word nüüd means “now”. The repertoire of the ensemble testifies that they actually interpret the notion “now” as an ample musical landscape involving different stylistic pursuits from the beginning of the 20th cent to the present day – the main criterion of selection is the work’s artistic value. NYYD Ensemble’s repertoire contains works by more than 80 composers from Debussy, Schönberg, and Stravinsky to Tan Dun, Heiner Goebbels and the younger ones. Due to the peculiar needs of some programmes, on rare occasions they have performed the classics as well. The ensemble is obviously in tight contact with Estonian composers. NYYD Ensemble has taken part in all the festivals of new music in Estonia, the most important of which are NYYD and the annual Days of Estonian Music. In the recent years NYYD Ensemble has been receiving more and more invitations to perform abroad. They have performed at several well-known festivals of new music, among others Musiikkin aika (“Time of Music”, Finland), Warsaw Autumn, and Maerzmusik in Berlin. In September they gave 2 different concerts at the festival Klangspuren in Schwaz.

Olari Elts:

• winner of the 2nd International Sibelius Conductors’ Competition in 2000, and of the 1999 Jorma Panula conducting Competition in Finland
• since 2001 principal conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, at the moment continues as principal guest conductor
• in 1993 formed his own contemporary music ensemble NYYD
• has conducted orchestras over the world – Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Sinfoniker, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Radio Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
• in 2001 was awarded the 4th class Order of the White Star in recognition for outstanding contribution to Estonian music culture
  NYYD Ensemble, Erkki-Sven Tüür, fragm, 158 sec, mp3

● Sun July 8th at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall (Aida Str 4, Pärnu)
MICHAEL SCHÖNHEIT (organ, Germany)
Concert dedicated to Albert Schweitzer
Program: Bach, Widor

The ethics of reverence for life know nothing of a relative ethic.
(Albert Schweitzer)
 

● Wed July 11th at 8 pm St Elisabeth’ Church, Pärnu (Nikolai Str 22)
State choir LATVIJA (Riga)
Veljo Tormis (!) – shaman drum
Conductor Māris Sirmais
Program: Poulenc, Messiaen, Whitacre, Tormis, Ligeti, fragments from the movie Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer

Symphony No 9 by Beethoven, 4th movement, fragm, 59 sec, mp3

The founder and first conductor of the State Choir “Latvija” was Janis Ozolins followed by Janis Dumins and Daumants Gailis. Since 1997, the artistic director and principal conductor of the choir is Māris Sirmais.
The cornerstones of the choir’s repertoire are large-scale compositions – oratorios, cantatas, masses, requiems, symphonies and concert performances of operas. Their repertoire also encompasses extensive a cappella programs as well as compositions for chorus and organ. This covers music from early Renaissance to the present day (Messiaen, Britten, Honegger among others). “Latvija” has developed a creative co-operation with leading symphony orchestras in Singapore, Israel, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Moscow, St Petersburg, and successfully collaborated with many conductors – Māris Jansons, Neeme Järvi, Mstislav Rostropovich, Valerij Gergiyev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Fedoseyev.
Most significant recent achievements include performances Arnold Schönberg’s opera “Moses And Aaron” in Graz (1998), 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th International Bodensee festivals in Germany, and in festivals in France, Italy, Israel, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Ireland, Singapore.

● Wed July 18th at 8 pm Estonia Concert Hall (Estonia Ave 4, Tallinn)
● Thu July 19th at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall (Aida Str 4, Pärnu)
● Fri July 20th at 8 pm St John’ church (Tartu)
GRIGORYAN GUITAR DUO (Australia)

Program: Debussy, Mompou, de Falla, E Grigoryan, Westlake, York, R Towner

Slava Grigoryan, born in Kazakhstan in 1976 and raised in Australia, he has been performing since he was eight and with major international orchestras since he was 15, including the London Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed at concerts and festivals in Europe, Asia, North and South America, including a Great Guitars Tour with the legendary flamenco guitarist Paco Peña.
As a major prizewinner at the Tokyo International Classical Guitar Competition, Slava was signed by Sony Music Entertainment Australia under Sony Classical in 1995 and has since released four solo albums. His debut classical album for ABC Classics, Sonatas and Fantasies, was awarded Best Classical Album at the 2002 ARIA Awards. Slava has received the ‘Mo Award’ for Instrumentalist of the Year and in 2002, toured for Musica Viva with his brother, Len Grigoryan.  The two enjoyed another highly successful Australia-wide tour in 2003 following the release of Play.
Len Grigoryan was born in 1985 and has been studying the guitar with his father, Eduard Grigoryan, since the age of four. He has won numerous national awards in all categories. Len has performed with Tommy Emmanuel, Kurt Jensen, the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra, Concordia Ensemble and the Melbourne Musicians’ Chamber Orchestra.
Slava and Len Grigoryan both compose music for guitar and their effortless virtuosity and brilliant musicianship, both in the standard repertoire of the classical guitar as well as crossover material and contemporary composition, is highly regarded around the world. The brothers have recorded a new album for ABC Classics, due for release later this year. During the last year, the duo toured in the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Australia, Europe, Russia.
Download photo, jpg, 300 dpi, 689 KB
A Piazzolla, Tango Suite, fragm, 117 sec, mp3

● Sun July 29th at 7 pm Culture Centre (Narva-Jõesuu, Eastern-Viru county, in co-operation with Seitsme Linna Muusika)
Mon July 30th Pärnu Concert Hall (Aida Str 4, Pärnu)
ANATOLY SAFIULIN (basso, Russia / Germany)
INNA DAVIDOVA (piano, Latvia)
Program: Mussorgski, popular Russian romances

One may say that the artistic personality of Anatoly Safiulin is created by music itself – by Russian folk songs and romances; original chamber music programs of Russian and Western composers’ works and by large-scale compositions as masses, requiems, cantatas, oratorios and symphonies. He is considered to be the true Russian singer of European culture.
Anatoly Safiulin was born in Moscow. In 1977 he graduated from the Russian Academy of Music, where he studied the solo singing under Prof G Aden, one of the most celebrated Russian vocal teachers. Prof Aden revealed to his student the secrets of vocal art, holding the natural beauty of the voice. Throughout many years Anatoly Safiulin was being a soloist of the Moscow State Philharmonics. He has the honorary title of the so-called People’s artist of Russia. Since 2002 he has been living in Germany.
Anatoly Safiulin is a guest soloist at many prestigious music festivals. To quote just some examples: Russian Winter, Moscow Stars, White Nights of St Petersburg, Edinburgh Festival, Prague Spring, All the World Stars, Bilbao Festival, etc. He has been touring intensively all around Russia and performing in London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Florence, Vienna, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Glasgow, Geneva, Stockholm, Chicago, New York, Montreal, Ottawa, Tokyo, İstanbul, Tel Aviv, Singapore, etc.
In London Anatoly Safiulin appeared in the role of Salieri for the first time since great Shalyapin had performing it. That was the semi-performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Mozart And Salieri at the Royal Festival Hall. Princess Diana, who honoured the concert with her presence, gave the singer an audience expressing her gratitude.
During the last decade the bass performed hundreds of large-scale works with the orchestra: requiems and masses by Cimarosa, Mozart, Verdi, Dvořák, Brahms, Faure, Britten, Bach, Beethoven, Schubert; cantatas by Bach, Honegger, Schönberg, Rakhmaninov, Prokofiev, Schnittke; symphonies by Mahler, Shostakovich. The singer has recorded more than 25 CDs.
Since 1997 Anatoly Safiulin has been working with Inna Davidova, the pianist and the artistic director of Herman Braun Foundation. Inna Davidova graduated in 1987 from Latvian Academy of Music. The basic artistic features of Inna Davidova are delicacy and stylistic certainty. She prefers to work with vocalists. Many well-known singers, such as Inessa Galante, Inga Kalna, Antra Bigaca, Elina Garanca, Egils Silins, Jolanta Stanelite, Tatiana Monogarova, Irina Dolzhenko can be listed her best co-workers. The pianist performs regularly in Latvia, Russia, Denmark, UK, Italy, Japan, Canada, the USA, Israel, Slovenia, Sweden.

● Thu Aug 9th at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall (Aida Str 4, Pärnu)
ORCHESTRA GIOVANILE ITALIANA
Conductor Gabriele Ferro (Italy)
Soloists Pavel Vernikov (violin, Russia) & Andres Mustonen (violin)
Program: Prokofiev, Kancheli, Sinopoli


  
Orchestra Giovanile Italiana has been invited to many of the most important music festivals in Europe including Montpellier, Edinburgh, Ljubljana, Madrid, Frankfurt, Prague and Budapest with outstanding acclaim from both critics and public alike. In 2004, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana celebrated its 20th birthday – an important landmark in the orchestra’s career. In that year the orchestra was busy with important projects such as the extensive tour of South America (Lima, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, etc). The orchestra ended the year with a tour of Italy performing Mahler’s 9th Symphony. This incredible project was the brainchild of Daniele Gatti and here the students played alongside some “old lions” who are at present principals of some of the most important Italian and European orchestras. A CD of the concert was made winning Daniele Gatti the Abbiati prize. Conductors have included Claudio Abbado, Roberto Abbado, Luciano Berio, Gabriele Ferro, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Giuseppe Sinopoli. The orchestra has recorded for Nuova Era, Aulos, Fonit Cetra and Stradivarius. In 2004 the orchestra was awarded the Music Critic's Abbiati prize.

audio-clip in Russian “Glasperlenspiel 2007”
video-clip “Glasperlenspiel 2007”

Thanks: Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Pärnu City Government

Organizers:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – management director
Kadri Kiis – assistant producer
Marika Pärk & Margit Saks – Pärnu Concert Hall
Piret Mikk – designer
Vello Rand, Virve Hallik & Clelia Piirsoo – advertisement
Mart Schifrin – logistics

See also: Glasperlenspiel-festivals; Glasperlenspiel on Facebook, Glasperlenspiel 2014, Glasperlenspiel 2013, Glasperlenspiel 2012; Glasperlenspiel 2011; Glasperlenspiel 2010; Glasperlenspiel 2009; Glasperlenspiel 2008; Glasperlenspiel 2006; Glasperlenspiel 2005; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004
Press resonance
animated symbols of Glasperlenspiel

MUUSIKAFESTIVAL 
KLAASPÄRLIMÄNG 2007

Peeter Vähi kunstilisel juhtimisel asetleidev igasuvine muusikafestival Klaaspärlimäng (‘Glasperlenspiel’) on inspireeritud Hermann Hesse samanimelise romaani ainestikust, mistõttu  püütakse muusikat vaadelda ning presenteerida ebatavalisest vaatenurgast. Klaaspärlimängul on üles astunud Austraalia Kammerorkester, Covent Gardeni kammerorkester, Süd-West Rundfunki Sümfooniaorkester, Tōkyō Filharmoonia Koor, Berliini Filharmoonikute Kvintett, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Anderszewski, Olli Mustonen, Christoph Eschenbach jt, samuti enamik Eesti juhtivaid muusikuid.

Klaaspärlimäng esitleb:
● P 11 veebr kell 19 Estonia Kontserdisaal
GIDON KREMER – 60
KREMERATA BALTICA – 10
Solistid: Gidon Kremer (viiul), Tatjana Grindenko (viiul, Moskva), Andrei Puškarev (vibrafon, Ukraina)
Kavas: Piazzolla, Schnittke, Korngold, Pärt, Silvestrov

A Piazzolla. Verano Porteno, live, fragm, 92 sek, mp3
video-klipp “Gidon Kremer 60”
Vaata pressi vastukaja
 

Klaaspärlimäng 2007

● R 6 juuli kell 20 Mustpeade Maja, Tallinn
● L 7 juuli kell 20 Pärnu Kontserdimaja
● P 8 juuli kell 20 Jaani kirik, Tartu
EUROOPA LIIDU KAMMERORKESTER
Hélène Gueuret (oboe & inglissarv, Prantsusmaa), Anna Biggin (viiul), Eva Stegeman (viiul, kunstiline juht, Holland)
Kavas: Bach, Vivaldi, Händel, Cherubini, Mozart

 

EL Kammerorkestri kontsert pakub 17–18 saj suurmeeste loomingu kaudu peenekoelist läbilõiget epohhide muutumisest ja ideaalide kujunemisest. “...Mozart, nagu Bachki, ei soovi meid õpetada, veelgi vähem hämmastada, ta ei soovi muud, kui pühitseda oma kutsumust töös nii täiuslikult kui võimalik, anda endast kõik ja teostada end teenimises.” (H Hesse)
EL Kammerorkester, Mozart, Sümfoonia nr 29, fragm, 88 sek, mp3

● R 6. juuli kell 23 Pärnu Kontserdimaja
AGA KÕRV EI PUHKA...
Öökontsert Erkki-Sven Tüüri plaadi “Oxymoron” esitluseks
NYYD Ensemble, kunstiline juht Olari Elts
Kavas: Tüür, Milhaud, Lindberg
Koostöös NYYD Ensemble’iga

NYYD Ensemble: Mihkel Peäske (flööt), Linda Vood (flööt), Nils Rõõmussaar (oboe), Toomas Vavilov (klarnet), Meelis Vind (klarnet), Jandra Puusepp (saksofon), Peeter Sarapuu (fagott), Esa Tapani (metsasarv), Kalle Koppel (metsasarv), Priit Aimla (trompet), Roman Petuhhov (trompet), Eduard Akulin (tromboon), Madis Metsamart (löökpillid), Rein Roos (löökpillid), Eda Peäske (harf), Marrit Gerretz (klaver), Harry Traksmann (I viiul), Juta Õunapuu (II viiul), Torsten Tiebout (vioola), Leho Karin (tšello), Mati Lukk (kontrabass)

Eesti esimene ja siiani ainus kaasaja muusikale pühendunud kollektiiv NYYD Ensemble sündis sügisel 1993 koostöös festivaliga NYYD ja pakkus sellega lahenduse eesti noorema põlvkonna muusikute probleemile: kui eesti muusikaelu on osa maailma muusikaelust, siis on eesti muusikute kohuseks hoida oma publikut kursis 20 saj ja tänase õhtumaa väärtmuusikaga, mis pole mittestandardsete koosseisude ja harjumatu helikeele tõttu senini jõudnud meie kooride ja sümfooniaorkestrite repertuaari, ent mida on kirjutanud ja kirjutavad meie sajandi suurheliloojad.
Õieti peaks vist imeks lugema, et NYYD-ansambel suudab kahtlase taustaga (s.o vastava akadeemilise erihariduseta) persoone, tõsi küll, igati halvamaitselist ja dekadentlikku, aga ikkagi kammersümfoonilist muusikat, kuulama peibutada. Kollektiiv on endale kavalate nippidega positiivse firmakujundi tekitanud. See on suur jõud. (Evi Arujärv, Postimees, 23.02.99) Paraku ei küsita kontserdisaali uksel isikut tõendavat dokumenti, mistõttu ei selgu, kas publiku hulgas on “kahtlast” elementi, s.o kohtulikult karistatud isikuid jne. Muidugi võiks teha sealsamas uksel ka mitmesuguseid muusikalisi teste, et mingi hinna eest ei pääseks kontserdile “inimene tänavalt” (“s.o vastava akadeemilise erihariduseta”). (Olari Elts, Postimees, 25.02.09)

Olari Elts:

• II rahvusvahelise Sibeliuse dirigentide konkursi võitja 2000, Jorma Panula dirigentide konkursi võitja 1999
• alates 2001 Läti Rahvusorkestri peadirigent ja kunstiline juht, nüüdsest jätkab sama orkestri juures kui esimene külalisdirigent
• asutas 1993 nüüdismuusika esitamisele keskendunud NYYD Ensemble’i
• on juhatanud orkestreid paljudes maades (Cincinnati Sümfooniaorkester, Soome Raadio sümfooniaorkester, Dresden Sinfoniker, Barcelona Sümfooniaorkester, Frakfurti Raadio sümfooniaorkester, Birminghami Sümfooniaorkester, Šoti Kammerorkester, BBC Šoti Sümfooniaorkester, Viini Tonkünstler Orkester, ERSO)
• silmapaistvate saavutuste eest Eesti muusikakultuuri rikastamisel pälvis 2001 Valgetähe IV klassi ordeni
  NYYD Ensemble, Erkki-Sven Tüür, fragm, 158 sek, mp3

● P 8 juuli kell 20, Pärnu Kontserdimaja
MICHAEL SCHÖNHEIT (orel, Saksamaa)
Kontsert on pühendatud Albert Schweitzerile
Kavas: Bach, Widor

Me näime olevat unustanud,
et ehkki päike jätkab endiselt tõusmist ja loojumistning kuu liigub üle taeva,
võib inimkond luua olukorra,
kus päike ja kuu vaatavad alla elutu, tühja maa poole.
(Albert Schweitzer)

 

Leipzigi kuulsa Gewandhausi organist Michael Schönheit esitab kava, mis on otseselt seotud legendaarse arsti, teoloogi, filosoofi, füüsiku, humanisti, Bachi-uurija, organisti ja Nobeli preemia laureaadi Albert Schweitzeri tegevusega. Esitatavad Bachi teosed kuulusid Schweitzeri repertuaari, Charles-Marie Jean Albert Widori näol oli aga tegemist Schweitzeri oreliõpetaja ja mentoriga.

● 11 juuli kell 20 Eliisabeti kirik, Pärnu
Segakoor LATVIJA (Riia)
Veljo Tormis – šamaanitrumm
Dirigent Māris Sirmais
Kavas: Poulenc, Messiaen, Whitacre, Tormis, Ligeti, fragmendid filmist “Parfüüm: ühe mõrva lugu”

Latvija, Beethoven, Sümfoonia nr 9, fragm, 59 sek, mp3

“Latvijal” on selja taga pikk ajalugu. Aastast 1942 on nad esitanud oratooriume, missasid ja kantaate, nende laia repertuaari kuulub muusika säravast renessansiajastust postmodernistliku kaasajani. Koor on eri maailmaotste juhtivate orkestrite juures teretulnud külaline, alates eksootilisest Singapurist ja lõpetades eesti kultuuriruumile lähedase Saksamaaga. Hiljuti salvestas koor muusika Patrick Süskindi õõvastava hittromaani ainetel valminud Tom Tykweri filmile “Parfüüm”.

● K 18 juuli kell 20 Estonia Kontserdisaal
● N 19 juuli kell 20 Pärnu Kontserdimaja
● R 20 juuli kell 20 Jaani kirik, Tartu
GRIGORYAN GUITAR DUO (Austraalia)
Slava Grigoryan & Len Grigoryan

Kavas: Debussy, Mompou, de Falla, E Grigoryan, Westlake, York, Towner

Vendi Slava ja Len Grigoryani on korduvalt nimetatud viimase kümnendi originaalseimaks ja säravaimaks kitarriduoks. Noorusest hoolimata on neil ette näidata suur hulk konkursivõite ning esinemisi mainekais kontserdipaigus, alates Euroopast lõpetades Araabia Ühendemiraatidega. Hiljuti salvestasid Grigoryanid plaadifirma ABC Classics all uue albumi “Play”. Eesti turneel kõlab lisaks suhteliselt klassikalisele repertuaarile (Claude Debussy, Manuel de Falla) ka muusika, mis asub kusagil klassika, džässi ja folgi piirimail (Ralph Towner, Andrew York).

Tõma alla: foto, jpg, 300 dpi, 689 KB
A Piazzolla, Tango süit, fragm, 117 sek, mp3

P 29 juuli kell 19 Narva-Jõesuu Kultuurikeskus (koostöös Seitsme Linna Muusikaga)
E 30 juuli Pärnu Kontserdimaja
ANATOLI SAFIULIN (bass, Saksamaa)
Inna Davidova (klaver, Läti)
Kavas: Mussorgski, populaarsed vene romansid

Vene 19 saj üht eredaimat komponisti Modest Mussorgskit teatakse ennekõike ooperite ja süidi “Pildid näitusel” järgi, ning kuigi talle polnud antud pikka eluiga, on tema looming võrratult mitmekesisem. Tema helitöödest kostavad 20 saj muusikale omased helimaastikud. Mussorgskit on tõstnud pjedestaalile mitmed hilisemad muusikamaailma suurkujud ja näiteks Šostakovitški on oma mälestustes öelnud sügava aukartusega, et Mussorgski oli tema jaoks terve akadeemia kunsti, poliitika ja inimsuhete alal...

N 9 aug kell 20 Pärnu Kontserdimaja
ORCHESTRA GIOVANILE ITALIANA
Dirigent Gabriele Ferro (Itaalia)
Solistid Pavel Vernikov (viiul, Venemaa) & Andres Mustonen (viiul)
Kavas: Prokofiev, Sinopoli, Kantšeli

Prokofjev esindab 20 saj vene neoklassitsistlikku muusikamaailma. Giuseppe Sinopoli on erakordne inimene – omandanud arstikutse, kaitses ta dissertatsiooni kriminaalantropoloogia alal, tegutses peamiselt hoopiski dirigendina. Komponeerimist õppis Karlheinz Stockhauseni käe all, ja seda õpitut kuulemegi “Klaaspärlimängul”. Grusiinlane Kantšeli peegeldab aga 1970ndatel tekkinud postmodernistlikku mõttemaailma ning on tagatipuks kirjutanud ka lustakat filmimuusikat (näiteks Georgi Danelia linateosele “Mimino”). “Kantšeli “Ex contrario” ühendab inimesi Põhjast ja Lõunast, Idast ja Läänest, teos on täis armastust ja sallivust ning jõuab alati lõpuks harmooniasse.” (A Mustonen)

audio-klipp “Klaaspärlimäng 2007”
video-klipp “Klaaspärlimäng 2007”

Tänud: EV Kultuuriministeerium, Eesti Kultuurkapital, Pärnu Linnavalitsus

Korraldajad:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – korraldusdirektor
Kadri Kiis – produtsendi assistent
Marika Pärk & Margit Saks – Pärnu Concert Hall
Piret Mikk – kujundus
Vello Rand, Virve Hallik & Clelia Piirsoo – reklaam
Mart Schifrin – logistika

Klaaspärlimängu festivalid: Klaaspärlimäng 2013, Klaaspärlimäng 2012, Klaaspärlimäng 2011, Klaaspärlimäng Facebook’is, Klaaspärlimäng 2009, Klaaspärlimäng 2008, Klaaspärlimäng 2006, Klaaspärlimäng 2005, Festivali arhiiv: Klaaspärlimäng 2003 ja 2004
Pressi vastukaja
Klaaspärlimängu animeeritud sümboolika

GLASPERLENSPIEL 2006

A joint project of Eesti Kontsert and ERP

The festival Glasperlenspiel (‘The Glass Bead Game’) directed by Peeter Vähi has got its inspiration from the novel by Hermann Hesse. It is certainly a leading musical event in Estonian summer where music lovers can enjoy performers like Australian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus, Quintet of Berliner Philharmoniker, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Anderszewski, Olli Mustonen, Kristjan Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Christoph Eschenbach, etc.

Glasperlenspiel 2006

from Jul 8 to Aug 6

Pärnu, Tallinn, Tartu, bonus concerts in Riga, Viljandi, Jõhvi and Narva

Artistic director – Peeter Vähi

● Sat Jul 8 at 4 pm
Pärnu Concert Hall
PRESS CONFERENCE

● Sat Jul 8 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
MASONIC MUSIC

The choir and orchestra of Estonian National Opera
Kristina Vähi − soprano
Riina Airenne − mezzo soprano
Urmas Põldma − tenor
Vladislav Horuzhenko − tenor
Mart Laur − bass
Andrus Haav − violin (the principal violinist of Finnish National Opera)
Conductor − Arvo Volmer
Program: W A Mozart Little Masonic Cantata (‘Eine kleine Freimauer-Kantate’), J Sibelius Violin Concerto, W A Mozart Thamos, King Of Egypt (‘Thamos, König in Ägypten’)

There have been many Masonic composers throughout the centuries including such great names as Johann Christian Bach, Leopold Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven (?), Ferenc Liszt, Niccolò Paganini, Charles Gounod, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Hector Berlioz, Giacomo Puccini, Franz Schubert, Jean Sibelius, George Gershwin, to name but a few, but perhaps the most famous was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart − genius among all geniuses. Mozart’s Masonic connections are well documented. In Prague, Mozart visited the Masonic Loge zur Wahrheit und Einigkeit (‘Truth and Unity’), where his cantata Die Maurerfreude was performed and he promised his Masonic brothers that he would shortly be offering a better tribute to the Masonic spirit. He was referring to Die Zauberflöte (‘The Magic Flute’). In Oct 1791 Mozart was composing the Little Masonic Cantata for the dedication of the temple of the Loge zur Neugekronte Hoffnung (‘Newly Crowned Hope’) on Nov 18th, but his health was deteriorating rapidly. During a walk with his wife he spoke of death and his suspicion that he had been poisoned. However, 2 days later, just a short period before his death, he was well enough to conduct his cantata.
The most celebrated member (since Aug 18th, 1922) of Soumi (Finland) Lodge No 1 was Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, better known to the world as Jean Sibelius. Sibelius, who had been a noted musician more than 25 years, was appointed Grand Organist for the new Grand Lodge, a post he held throughout his life. He became interested in improvising music for the regular work and was persuaded to compose specific selections adapted for use in the lodge room. This culminated in the ritual music known as “Musique Religieuse”, Op 113. His mother-lodge, Suomi Lodge No 1, was the first to hear this remarkable music in 1927.

The Estonian National Opera, established in the year 1906, is a historic organisation with vital traditions and manifold functions. The EsNO’s season, lasting 10 months from Sep until Jun, contains a varied repertoire of opera, ballet, and operetta. About 250 performances of up to 30 different works are presented annually. The EsNO is the home of the symphony orchestra, the opera choir and the ballet. The orchestra was founded in 1907 and it now employs almost a hundred musicians. In addition to its theatre assignments, the orchestra regularly performs symphonic works and records world classics as well as the best of Estonian music. The 54-strong opera choir, besides participating in stage productions, consistently gives concerts on its own as well. Symbolically speaking, the EsNO’s location in the heart of Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn, is a reflection of the company’s artistic position − at the centre of Estonian culture.
Arvo Volmer is the music director of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the artistic director and chief conductor of the Estonian National Opera. Volmer’s outstanding musicianship and concentrated work with orchestras has led to his continuing appearances: so at the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, The Queensland Symphony Orchestra Brisbane, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Orchestra, the West Australien Orchestra Perth, l’Orchestre National de France, the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the philharmonic orchestras of Stuttgart, Dortmund, Nürnberg, Kiel, Halle, Jena and Rostock as well as the leading orchestras of Scandinavia. Arvo Volmer’s international career was launched following his success at the 1989 Nikolai-Malko-Competitions Copenhagen. He was the music director of the Estonian National Orchestra between 1993 and 2001 and music director of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, Finland from 1994 to 2005.
Mozart. Eine kleine Freimauer-Kantate, fragm, 1 min 31 sec, mp3

● Fri Jul 14 at 8 pm St John church (Jaani kirik), Tartu
● Sat Jul 15 at 6 pm Jõhvi Concert Hall, Eastern Viru county (in co-operation with Seitsme Linna Muusika)
Sun Jul 16 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
TŌKYŌ PHILHARMONIC CHORUS
Fujisaki Shigeyasu (shinobue-flute)
Conductor Matsubara Chifuru
Program: Folk songs of Asian countries, Murray Schafer, Mamiya Michio, Peeter Vähi
Chrysanthemum Garden Chant, live rec, fragm,  1 min 47 sec, mp3
Listen to the concert

The Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus is Japan’s foremost independent professional group in the field. Its members are all graduates of Japanese or European musical conservatories and represent the highest level of choral musical acumen in Japan. Since its foundation in 1956, it has engaged in continuous concert and recording activities, performing works of various periods and genres, from Palestrina to contemporary Japanese composers. Since its inception, the chorus has not only commissioned and premièred more than 100 choral pieces by Japanese composers, but also has given repeated performances of many of these new compositions. This dedication to contemporary music has earned for the chorus high esteem throughout the international music world, and has been recognized in Japan by numerous award such as the Art Festival Award of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Mainichi Newspaper Performing Arts Award, the Kyoto Music Award and so forth. The chorus holds some 200 concerts annually, performs frequently with both Japanese and foreign orchestras and each year makes about 50 TV and radio recordings. Since 1990s, the chorus had many successful concerts with the renowned visiting conductors. With Paul Hillier in 1991 and 1992, with Wolfdieter Maurer in 1993, 1996 and 1998, with John Alldis in 1994 and 1996, James Wood in 1995 and 1997, Thomaskantor Georg Christoph Biller in 1999. Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus is proud of its last music director (and conductor of NHK Symphony Orchestra) Iwaki Hiroyuki. (Maestro Iwaki Hiroyuki passed away on 13th June 2006. We deeply regret the loss.) The general manager of the Chorus is Kobayashi Shin-ichi.
           
 

● Sun Jul 16 at 8 pm Viljandi St Paul church (in co-operation with Viljandi Early Music Festival)
Mon Jul 17 at 7 pm St Alexander church, Narva (in co-operation with Seitsme Linna Muusika)
Tue Jul 18 at 8 pm St Elisabeth church, Pärnu
BYZANTINE RITE
Ensemble Jouissance (Australia)
Program: Akathistos hymn
Deborah Kayser − soprano, Jerzy Kozlowski − baritone / bass, Peter Neville − bells, percussion, Nick Tsiavos − double bass / artistic director, Anne Norman − shakuhachi-flute

The Akathistos has also a historic context to it, a backdrop that has surrounded the hymn with legend. On three separate occasions in the 7th cent, the capital of Eastern Christendom, Constantinople, was attacked and held under siege. Through the miraculos intervention of the Theotokos, the city repelled the invading armies. The hymn “Ti hypermacho stratigo” links the safety of Constantinople with the benevolent care of the Virgin Mary. Since that time, the “Akathistos” and “Ti hypermacho stratigo” have been sung together as a thanksgiving to the Virgin Protectress of Constantinople.
Jouissance, The Akathistos, fragm, 1 min 31 sec, mp3

● Sat Jul 22 at 7 pm Town Hall, Tallinn
● Sun Jul 23 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
● Mon Jul 24 at 7 pm Black Heads’ House, Riga (in co-operation with Herman Braun Foundation)
MUSIC FOR GLASS HARMONICA
Thomas Bloch (glass harmonica, France) together with Neeme Punder (flute), Olev Ainomäe (oboe) and Tobias String Quartet
Program: W A Mozart, Benjamin Franklin

The glass harmonica was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. In 1757, while in England he attended a concert given on the wine glasses. He thought it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard but he wanted to hear more harmonies with his melody. Thus the glass harmonica was born and named by Franklin for a word taken from the musical Italian language − Armonica. It has been said that if the harp is “the instrument of the Angels”, then the glass harmonica is “the voice of the Angels”. Graduated size bowls with holes and corks in the center were put onto a horizontal spindle and rotated by a fly wheel and a foot pedal. Moistened fingers rubbed the edges to produce the beautiful sound. Franklin used a most unique way to identify the notes of the bowls. He painted the 7 “white keys” the 7 colors of the rainbow and the 5 “black keys”, white. The glass harmonica was an instant success. Marie Antoinette took lessons on it and Dr Mesmer, the famous hypnotist, used it to put his patients into a deeper trance. Composers started writing for it, the most famous − Mozart, Beethoven, Donizetti, R Strauss, and Saint-Saëns. By the mid-1800s, it suddenly lost its popularity, and gradually vanished. Glass harmonicas were said to drive performers mad and evoke spirits of the dead because of its eerie and haunting sound (!?).
Benjamin Franklin (1706−1790), pictured on the US $100 bill, was one of the most prominent of political figures and statesmen of the USA. Considered the earliest of the founders, Franklin was noted for his curiosity, ingenuity and diversity of interests. More than anyone he shaped the American Revolution despite never holding national elective office. As a leader of the Enlightenment he had the attention of scientists and intellectuals all across Europe. As agent in London before the revolution, and minister to France during, he more than anyone defined the new nation in the minds of Europe. His success in securing French military and financial aid was decisive for American victory over Britain. He invented the lightning rod; he invented the notion of colonial unity; he invented the idea of America; historians hail him as the “first American”.
Born in Boston, Franklin became a newspaper editor, printer, and merchant in Philadelphia, becoming very wealthy. He published the famous Poor Richard’s Almanack and Pennsylvania Gazette. He became a national hero in America when he convinced Parliament to repeal the hated Stamp Act. A diplomatic genius, Franklin was a major figure in the development of positive Franco-American relations. From 1785 to his death, Franklin was president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. Franklin was interested in science and technology, carrying out his famous electricity experiments and invented the Franklin stove, medical catheter, lightning rod, swimfins, and bifocals. He also played a major role in establishing the higher education institutions that would become the Ivy League’s University and the Franklin and Marshall College. In addition, Franklin was a noted linguist, fluent in 5 languages, and had the interest in astrology. Also, Franklin left his mark in Freemasonry. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania commissioned the bronze statue of Brother Benjamin Franklin and presented it to the city of Philadelphia (directly across the street from the front door of the Masonic Temple) in 1981, commemorating the 250 years of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania. The USA marks Franklin’s 300th birthday in 2006 with a wide array of exhibitions, and events citing Franklin’s extraordinary accomplishments throughout his illustruous career.

Thomas Bloch, a specialist for rare instruments (Ondes Martenot, glass harmonica, cristal baschet, various keyboards), born in 1962 in France, obtained 15 Music Academy awards, a 1st prize at Paris Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique, and a master in musicology (Strasbourg University). To this day, he has given over 1900 performances in 20 countries and participated in about 40 recordings (Columbia, EMI, Sony, BMG, Polygram, Erato). They include both personal CDs and CDs with other artists all over the world. His latest records include Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphonie (Classical Music Award 2002 – Midem) for Naxos, considered as a reference for this work. For the new Milos Forman’s movie “Amadeus”, Thomas Bloch has recorded an extract of Mozart’s glass harmonica quintet. Thomas Bloch gives lectures, master classes, concerts and writes articles to popularize his instruments and the works composed for them, and is a continuous incentive to others to compose music of all styles for them (he plays about 10 new works every year). Since 1992, he has been teaching Ondes Martenot at Strasbourg Music Academy and, since the opening of the musical instruments Museum in Paris in 1997, he has been charged of presenting to the visitors and playing for them several instruments of the collection. He gives recitals, plays in chamber ensembles and as a soloist with various orchestras. He has played in Amsterdam, Milano, Paris (more than 300 times!), London, New York, Tokyo, Madrid, Budapest, Osaka, Boston, Helsinki, Bruxelles, Firenze, Bologna, Philadelphia, Toulouse, Montreal, Prague, Lisbon, Barcelona, Stockholm, Warsaw, etc. 
Thomas Bloch: Mozart. Adagio and Rondo, fragment, 62 sec, mp3

● Wed Jul 26 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
SOUNDS OF RUSSIA, SPAIN & CHINA
Kaia Urb (soprano) & Heiki Mätlik (guitar)

Romance Don’t Damn Me, fragm, 72 sec, mp3

● Thu Jul 27 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
MOZART
Pärnu City Orchestra
Ralf Taal (piano)
Conductor Olari Elts
Program: Mozart, Chopin, Tshaikovsky, Silvestrov

Pärnu City Orchestra, 83 sec, mp3

● Sat Jul 29 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
Sun Jul 30 at 7 pm Dome church, Riga (in co-operation with Herman Braun Foundation)
THE END OF COMPOSER’ TIME
Tatiana Grindenko (violin) & chamber orchestra Opus Posth (Moscow)
Program: “The Four Seasons”

Opus Posth: Tatiana Grindenko, Igor Solokhin, Elena Poluyanchenko, Sergey Gutman, Egor Ivanenko, Natalya Panasyuk, Fedor Stroganov, Nikita Kochergin, Alexander Ivanenko, Liudmila Egorova, Vladimir Metelev.
The four seasons are four embodiments of the living periods of composers: the beginning (Antonio Vivaldi), the flourishing (Johann Sebastian Bach), the fading (Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy), and the end (Arvo Pärt). Each of the composers symbolises its epoch. Composed or compiled by Russian composer and “music-philosopher” Vladimir Martynov.
Opus Posth, 61 sec, mp3

● Sun Aug 6 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
THREE GENERATIONS OF MOZART
Maano Männi (violin) & Toomas Vana (piano)
Program: Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Xaver Mozart

Violinist Maano Männi (b 1966) has graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music under the guidance of Prof Jüri Gerretz in 1992. He has been the principal violinist of the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (1993-96), and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (1993-2000). Maano Männi is known as a solo artist and a chamber musician. Concert tours have taken him to the most of European countries, also the USA and Canada. Maano Männi is the founder of the Tobias String Quartet and the artistic director of the period-true Strauss-Orchestra. Since 2002, he has been the principal violinist of the Vaasa City Orchestra; during the season of 2004 / 2005 he has been the guest concert-master of the orchestra of Estonian National Opera.

Download: flyer in English and Estonian, pdf, 2681 KB
Download: booklet (detailed info in English & Estonian), 67 pages, pdf, 1720 KB
video-clip “Glasperlenspiel 2006”
audio-clip in Estonian “Glasperlenspiel 2006”
audio-clip in Russian “Glasperlenspiel 2006”

Thanks: Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Pärnu City Government, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Eesti Kontsert, Estonian National Opera, Toomas Sildmäe 

Organizers:
Riin Eensalu – assistant producer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – management director
Marika Pärk & Margit Saks – Pärnu Concert Hall
Piret Mikk – designer
Vello Rand, Virve Hallik & Clelia Piirsoo – advertisement
Mart Schifrin – logistics

See also: Glasperlenspiel-festivals; Glasperlenspiel on Facebook, Glasperlenspl 2014, Glasperlenspiel 2013, Glasperlenspiel 2012; Glasperlenspiel 2011; Glasperlenspiel 2010; Glasperlenspiel 2009; Glasperlenspiel 2008; Glasperlenspiel 2007; Glasperlenspiel 2005; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004
Press resonance
animated symbols of Glasperlenspiel

GLASPERLENSPIEL
MUSIC FESTIVAL
A joint project of ERP and the City of Tartu

The festival Glasperlenspiel (‘The Glass Bead Game’) directed by Peeter Vähi has got its inspiration from the novel by Hermann Hesse. It is certainly a leading musical event in Estonian summer where music lovers can enjoy performers like Australian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus, Quintet of Berliner Philharmoniker, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Anderszewski, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Olli Mustonen, Järvi “dynasty”, Christoph Eschenbach, etc

Next events: Glasperlenspiel 2019

Glasperlenspiel was born in July 1995. From its very beginning the artistic director of this festival is Peeter Vähi, a composer and music producer.
Ever since then the concert halls and the churches have acted as concert venues for many world famous artists (European Union Baroque Orchestra, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Quintet of Berliner Philharmoniker, Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus, Absolute Ensemble, Kremerata Baltica, Roy Goodman, Christoph Eschenbach, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Vadim Repin, Gidon Kremer, Olli Mustonen) as well as leading musicians of Estonia (Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Opera, Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta, Estonian National Male Choir, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Early Music Consort Hortus Musicus, NYYD Ensemble, Neeme Järvi, Eri Klas, Paavo Järvi,  Olari Elts, Andres Mustonen, Kristjan Järvi, Tõnu Kaljuste, Kalle Randalu, Martin Kuuskmann...)

Info: ERP (Estonia Avenue 4, Tallinn 10148, Estonia); fax +372 6484571; www.erpmusic.com;  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Organizers:
Peeter Vähi − artistic director
Taavet − artistic adviser
Tiina Jokinen − management director
Kadri Kiis − producer, accountant
Olavi Sööt − logistics
Tarmo Tuvike − marketing, PR
Johannes Vähi − webmaster, live streaming

Thanks: Tartu City Government, Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Toyota Baltic AS

Glasperlenspiel 2018; Glasperlenspiel 2017; Glasprelenspiel 2016; Glasperlenspiel 2015; Glasperlenspiel 2014; Glasperlenspiel 2013; Glasperlenspiel 2012; Glasperlenspiel 2011; Glasperlenspiel 2010; Glasperlenspiel 2009; Glasperlenspiel 2008; Glasperlenspiel 2007; Glasperlenspiel 2006; Glasperlenspiel 2005; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004

Glasperlenspiel on Facebook
Press resonance
Additional info: Wikipedia in English and Estonian
Download the logo of Glasperlenspiel (different file formats): JPG, PDF, PNG
animated symbols of Glasperlenspiel
External links: Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias (in English)

Should you wish to subscribe for news and updates on festival programs about twice annually, please click here.

MUSIC FESTIVAL
GLASPERLENSPIEL 2005

The festival Glasperlenspiel (‘The Glass Bead Game’) directed by Peeter Vähi has got its inspiration from the novel by Hermann Hesse. It is certainly a leading musical event in Estonian summer where music lovers can enjoy performers like Australian Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Tōkyō Philharmonic Chorus, Quintet of Berliner Philharmoniker, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Anderszewski, Olli Mustonen, Kristjan Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Christoph Eschenbach, etc.

● Sat Jul 16 at 7 pm Crossing of the Rüütli and Nikolai Streets, Pärnu
OPENING CEREMONY

● Sat Jul 16 at 8 pm St Elisabeth church, Pärnu
● Sun Jul 17 at 7 pm Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn
Süd-West Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, Piotr Anderszewski (piano, Poland), conductor Sylvain Camberling
Mozart, Janáček

Süd-West Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra was born in 1946. Heinrich Strobel, the legendary first music director at the broadcasting station SWF in the French occupation zone, had called on his contacts to quickly activate the station’s musical life. He also managed to bring Hans Rosbaud to Baden-Baden, who was the head of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the cult figure of German radio. With its performance of works by Ligeti, Penderecki, Stockhausen, Berio, Messiaen, and Rihm, the orchestra has gained an important role in the history of music. Igor Stravinsky conducted his own compositions with the orchestra several times, Pierre Boulez began his world-wide career as a conductor with the orchestra. More than 300 pieces performed by the orchestra have been issued on CDs. Since 1949 it has travelled as an ambassador of music throughout the world including regular tours to the Festival d’Automne Paris, the Salzburg Festivals, Vienna, Berlin and Edinburgh, Brussels, Lucerne, Strasbourg, Frankfurt. In 1999 the orchestra played at New York’s Carnegie Hall, in 2000 it contributed to the spectacular success of the first performance of opera L’Amour de loin under the direction of Kent Nagano at the Salzburg Festival. In 2002 the world première of Berlin – Symphony of a Big City was performed at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden and abroad. In 2003 a Messiaen Special traveled from Lisbon via Porto and Vienna to Graz, where 3 evening-filled orchestral works by Olivier Messiaen were performed on a weekend. In 2003 the orchestra was in residence at the first Ruhrtriennale, offering, among others, Messiaen’s 6-hour opera St Francois d’Assise.   

Since first coming to public attention at the 1990 Leeds Piano Competition, Piotr Anderszewski has become a familiar figure on the international concert platform, appearing regularly with leading orchestras around the world. Anderszewski’s performances in the 2003–04 season included European tours with the London Symphony Orchestra under John Eliot Gardiner, with the Sinfonia Varsovia as soloist/director and with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie. He also appeared in recital as part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s recital season, and with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on their tour of the USA. Anderszewski has made a number of highly-praised recordings, since 2000, has been an exclusive artist with Virgin Classics. His first release for Virgin was Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, a disc which received exceptional critical acclaim, including a Diapason d’or and Le Choc du Monde de la Musique. Other notable releases from Virgin have quickly followed: second disc of Mozart piano concertos was nominated for a Gramophone Award and his third, of Bach’s Partitas, earned him a Grammy nomination in 2003. His recording of late Chopin works was released in October 2003 to outstanding reviews, whilst a recent reissue of his first ever solo recording has consolidated his reputation as an artist of boldness and originality. In recent years Anderszewski has been singled out for several high profile awards – the prestigious Szymanowski Prize in 1999, in 2001, the Royal Philharmonic Society’s “2000 Best Instrumentalist” award. In April 2002 he was named Gilmore Artist, succeeding previous winner Leif Ove Andsnes. Described by the prestigious award’s advisory panel as “truly extraordinary”, Anderszewski will be Gilmore Laureate until 2006, appearing regularly at the Gilmore keyboard festival in Michigan and receiving financial assistance towards his career goals. Anderszewski’s 2004–05 season includes recitals in most of the major musical centres, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He will also perform with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia. In June 2005 he directs a festival in Paris devoted to the music of Szymanowski.

Multi-talented conductor Sylvain Cambreling is a thought provoking, colourful and dramatic artist with a mass of original and inventive ideas. As the principal conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester and principal guest conductor of Klangforum Wien, Sylvain Cambreling is renowned for his imaginative program planning and as a leading exponent of music. His creative side has been amply demonstrated in his opera conducting: in the 2001 Salzburg Festival production of “Figaro”. He replaced the traditional recitative accompaniment with a synthesizer. “Provocative, refreshingly unreverential. He (Mozart) would have been tickled by a synthesized recitativo secco instead of the usual harpsichord” (Financial Times). Notable past productions have included “Pelléas” and “The Trojans” for the Salzburg Festival, “Wozzeck”, “Fidelio” and “Ring Cycle” in Frankfurt, where he was music director in the 90s. In all of these Cambreling has made his mark by introducing a new and often revolutionary idea at some point within the production. In 2001–02 he conducted at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and at La Monnaie, where he held the position of music director for 10 years. This season’s productions include “Don Giovanni” at the Metropolitan Opera. Starting in the 2004-05 season Cambreling will be conducting the Opéra National de Paris in productions including “St Francois d’Assise”, “Pelléas et Mélisande”, and “La Clemenza di Tito”. Cambreling balances his opera engagements with guest appearances with the world’s leading orchestras – he has appeared with the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, the radio orchestras of Hamburg, Cologne, and the BBC. In North America he has conducted the Cleveland, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and San Francisco Orchestras. Over the coming seasons he will conduct orchestras including the Bayerischer Rundfunk, BBC Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Dresden Staatskapelle, Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, and Orchestre National de Lyon.

● Mon Jul 18 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
Pärnu City Orchestra, Carel Kraayenhof (bandoneon), Martin Kuuskmann (bassoon), conductor Kristjan Järvi
AMERICA – NORTH AND SOUTH
Program: Barber, Coleman, Piazzolla, Ginastera

Martin Kuuskmann & Kristjan Järvi, 2 min 9 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps

Regarded as one of the most versatile bassoon soloists, Martin Kuuskmann’s repertoire spans from the early Baroque era to jazz and contemporary music. His solo appearances have taken him to Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia and the USA, and to music festivals in Hamburg, Bremen, Cologne, New York, Umeå, Kuhmo, to name a few. Martin Kuuskmann is active in working closely with composers to expand the bassoon’s literature and, especially, to push the instrument’s range and technique. The New York Times has recently praised Martin Kuuskmann’s playing as “dynamic... amazing... gripping...”, adding, “Kuuskmann played stunningly...” Kuuskmann’s previous seasons’ included four world premiere performances of concertos written especially for him. He has premiered several works of of Daniel Schnyder, including “Zoom In”. In 2003 Kuuskmann premiered Caprice No 1 for bassoon and string quintet, written for him by the legendary jazz composer John Patitucci. He is currently working on new bassoon concertos with Gruber and Schnyder. In the summer of 2004 Kuuskmann appeared with Luciano Berio’s “Sequenza” in several European music festivals. As a member and artist in residence of the Grammy nominated Absolute Ensemble, Kuuskmann has been a featured soloist on several recordings including “Fix” and “Absolute Mix”, winner of the German Record Critics Award, performing Michael Daugherty’s virtuosic and madcap concerto, “Dead Elvis”. Thus far he has given nearly 40 “Dead Elvis” performances across the world. Martin’s solo performances have been broadcast worldwide on the BBC, the CBC, German and Swedish National Radio, the National Public Radio in the United States, to name a few. Martin Kuuskmann is a member of the New York Lyric Chamber Music Society and Ensemble Sospeso. He is a co-founder of Duo Martinika, with flutist Maarika Järvi; and of the Taylor-Kuuskmann Project with renown bass trombonist David Taylor. His trio, Archipelago, blending music from the medieval era to rock and jazz also featuring Bill Schimmel on accordion and David Rozenblatt on percussion released its album, “Archipelago” (CCn’C Records, 2001) to high critical acclaim. Kuuskmann’s world-music album ”The Path Of Mantra” (Erdenklang Records, 2002), blends bassoon with music and chanting by Tibetan monks. Kuuskmann plays on Leitzinger bocals and on Gumin bassoon reeds.

Kristjan Järvi (b 1972, Tallinn) is chief conductor of the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra. As a child he moved with his family to New York, where he studied piano and conducting at the Manhattan School of Music. He attended master classes in piano taught by Tatiana Nikolajeva in Salzburg. In New York in 1993, Kristjan Järvi founded the Absolute Ensemble, which today is one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles. CD recordings with Järvi and Absolute Ensemble have been nominated for a Grammy Award and won the German Record Critics’ Prize. As musical director of Absolute Ensemble, Järvi plays repertoire ranging from the 16th to the 21st century, from Baroque to rock. He is an avid explorer and advocate of contemporary music and has conducted the premières of numerous works by such composers as  Daniel Schnyder, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Charles Colemann, and Peeter Vähi. From 1998 to 2000 Kristjan Järvi was assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conducted a sensational debut with this orchestra in the Hollywood Bowl. Since the 2000-01 season, he has been Principal Conductor of the Norrlands Operan and Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. He appears world-wide as a guest conductor of such fine symphony orchestras as the Hallé Orchestra of Manchester, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, the Radio Symphony Orchestras of Berlin and Frankfurt, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Italy, the Adelaide Symphony and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.

● Wed Jul 20 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
● Thu Jul 21 at 7 pm St Nicholas church, Tallinn
● Fri Jul 22 Kuressaare castle, Saaremaa island
Duo Martinika (Maarika Järvi – flute, Switzerland; Martin Kuuskmann – bassoon, USA), Matt Herskowitz (piano, Canada)
Program: Beethoven, Herskowitz, Feldt, Schnyder, Pärt, Poulenc

Maarika Järvi, 56 sec, mp3

The Duo Martinika was formed in 2001 by Maarika Järvi (flute), and Martin Kuuskmann (bassoon). The idea to fuse the timbre of flute and bassoon into a duo occured to the musicians in 2001. The same year their débute was met with positive feedback both from the audience and critics. This unconventional staff cannot find too many original compositions created for them in the history of music, however, the more intriguing is their original sound world and that inspires the musicians to look for everything new and exciting. They impose no stylistic limitation on their search of repertoire – it includes arrangements of classics as well as original compositions with hints of jazz. Maarika Järvi and Martin Kuuskmann are known to the international audience first and foremost as soloists. Both musicians stand out with their strong professionalism, elegant style and warm relations with the audience.
Maarika Järvi has held principal flute positions of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias and the Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra of Spain. She has performed as a soloist with several orchestras in Europe, Canada, the USA and Japan. She is a regular member of the Absolute Ensemble of her brother Kristjan Järvi. As a “champion of Estonian flute music”, she has made 2 recordings of concertos, one group consisting of Tubin, Sink, Jürisalu, and Tamberg, the other of works specially written for her by Peeter Vähi and Urmas Sisask.

Pianist Matt Herskowitz is a unique new voice from within the nexus of classical and jazz traditions. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard Music School, Matt is a brilliant pianist. As soloist and ensemble member, he performs and records regularly with Absolute Ensemble, a New York-based crossover chamber band. Their first release on Enja records, Absolution, which features Matt as soloist, was nominated for a Grammy in 2001. Matt’s first solo recording, Gabriel’s Message (CCn’C Records), features his original arrangements and compositions based on Christmas themes, and has received world-wide critical acclaim. In 2004, Matt’s solo video-taped recording for the Bravo channel was first aired. This past February, Matt performed at the RIDEAU showcase in Quebec, where he won two prizes for his performance; the Prix Galaxie, given to best emerging artist, and the Prix des Diffuseurs Européans/SODEC, which sponsors a tour of France this fall. In 2002 Matt composed an original film score for a silent avant-garde French film, Jeux des Reflets et de la Vitesse, performed at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater. In 2003 Matt recorded for the soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated animated film Les Triplettes de Belleville. As a winner of the Pro Piano Recital Series Competition, Matt gave his New York debut as a classical pianist in 1994 at Carnegie Hall. Also winner of first prizes at the 1997 Orford Festival International Piano Competitions, Matt’s performances there led to a recording of Glazunov’s Piano Concerto No 2 with I Musici de Montreal for Chandos Records in 1998. Currently, Matt tours extensively throughout Europe and North America in solo recitals and with the Herskowitz Rozenblatt Project.

● Thu Jul 21 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
● Fri Jul 22 at 7 pm St Lauretius church, Kuressaare
● Sat Jul 23 at 7 pm St Michael church, Jõhvi, Viru county
Christoph Koncz (violin)
European Union Chamber Orchestra
Program: Holst, Mozart, Sollima, Grieg, Haydn

The European Union Chamber Orchestra was formed in 1981 with players from the member states of the European Union. Patron: Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain. Artistic director Eva Stegeman. Artists of world renown who have performed with EUCO: Maurice André, Lazar Berman, James Galway, John Lill, Julian Lloyd Webber, Cyprien Katsaris, Misha Maisky, Yehudi Menuhin, Igor Oistrakh, etc. Major sponsors: King and Queen of Cambodia, British Airways, BMW, Deutsche Bank, Ford, IBM, Lufthansa, Pirelli, Olivetti, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, etc. EUCO gives between 60 and 70 concerts each year, tours in 2004–05 include Europe, Latin America, South and South-East Asia, the Persian Gulf and Estonia.

● Tue Jul 26 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
● Wed Jul 27 at 7 pm St Nicholas church, Tallinn
Selvadore Raehni (clarinet, Japan), Leipzig String Quartet (Andreas Seidel & Tilman Büning – violins, Ivo Bauer – viola, Matthias Moosdorf – cello)
Program: Schubert, Mozart, Brahms

Born in Estonia, Selvadore Raehni was the principal clarinetist of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra in Japan 1997–2005. His most significant solo performances in Japan include Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto at the famous Osaka Symphony Hall and Debussy’s Rhapsody at the Kyoto Concert Hall. Of the latter concert, “Ongaku no Tomo” music magazine had this to say: “Greatest and most valuable performance this evening was the “Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra” from Debussy. The soloist was Selvadore Raehni, the principal clarinetist of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. His rich sound has a definitive core and exceptionally fresh and vivid persuasive power. His marvelous breath control, his skill of the smooth performance without letting notice the difficulty of this hard piece, the ups and downs of the Rhapsody with the stable support of the breath were great. In each aspect, that was the highest Art of the breath. We were absolutely fascinated by him...” (Toshiya Hibiki, 2000). In 2002 and 2004, he was invited to play principal clarinet at the Yamanami International Music Festival. As principal clarinetist of the Kyoto Symphony, he has recorded CDs for the Arte Nova label and Japan’s National Radio and TV. In 2005, he performed Brahms’ Trio Op 114 in the Saitama Arts Theatre with pianist Michie Koyama and cellist Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, two of Japan’s top musicians.
From 1986 to 1991, Selvadore Raehni studied at the Estonian Academy of Music, graduating with top marks. During this time, he was also a member of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. At the 1990 National Competition for Woodwind Players, Selvadore Raehni was forced to withdraw in the second round when his clarinet cracked. In spite of his withdrawal, he was awarded a special prize for the best performance of woodwinds, and the first prize of the competition was withheld. That same year, he was admitted to the Estonian Institute of Humanities, where he was also a student until 1991. From 1991 to 1997, Selvadore Raehni studied primarily in Germany, under Prof Wolfgang Meyer, for whom he also served as assistant, at the Karlsruhe State University of Music, where he completed his post-graduate and doctorate studies. During this time he also studied in Paris under the guidance of solo clarinetist Alain Damiens of the Ensemble Intercontemporain. While a student in Germany, Selvadore Raehni performed as soloist several times with the Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchetra. In 1996, he was selected to represent the woodwind faculty of Karslruhe State University of Music at a concert with the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra at Berlin’s Schauspielhaus, performing Clarinet Concerto by Mozart. He also played with orchestras such as the Wurttemberg and Pforzheim chamber orchestras, taking part in concert tours in Germany, Switzerland, and France.
Founded in 1988, the Leipzig String Quartet is now widely acclaimed as one of the most exciting string quartets of the international chamber music scene. Three of the members were principals in the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, before deciding in 1993 to devote all their time to the quartet. Since then, the Leipzig String Quartet has won many international prizes, including 2^nd prize at the ARD Competition in Munich (no first prize was awarded) and the Busch Brothers Award in 1991 and the Siemens Music Award in 1992. The Quartet has toured extensively throughout Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, North and South America, Australia, Japan and Israel and has been invited by many major international festivals such as Berliner Festwochen, Schleswig-Holstein, Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart, Yehudi Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Festival International de Radio France Montpellier, Festivals of  Bath, City of London, Belfast at Queen’s, Baltimore and Montreal. The Quartet has appeared with many well-known artists including Alfred Brendel and Christian Zacharias, piano, Christiane Oelze, soprano, and the “king of kletzmer” Giora Feidman. The Quartet’s repertoire includes approximately 200 compositions. The Quartet has recorded the complete string quartet work of Franz Schubert, Kurt Weill, the New Vienna School, which have received wide critical acclaim. In addition, it has started to record the complete string quartet work of Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms. The recordings have won the quartet numerous prizes, such as the “Diapason d’Or”, the “Premios Compact award 1997”, “Indie Award” (USA 1999) for Beethoven’s string quartets, the “Echo Classic Award” (Germany) in 1999 for “The Trout” by Franz Schubert, in 2000 for the “Prussian Quartets” by Mozart, and in 2003 for Richard Strauss as well as 2 nominations for the Cannes Classical Award. The Quartet has released over 40 recordings.

● Thu Jul 28 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
● Fri Oct 28 at 7 pm St Michael church, Jõhvi, Viru county
MOZART & SALIERI
Pärnu City Orchestra, Voces Musicales, Ieva Ezeriete (soprano, Latvia), Kaia Urb (soprano), Teele Jõks (mezzo soprano), Mati Turi (tenor), Uku Joller (bass), conductor Yuri Alperten
Program: Mozart, Salieri, video-fragments from the movie “Amadeus”

Mozart. Requiem     Salieri. La folia di Spanga

Ieva Ezeriete studied the vocal art at the Latvian Academy of Music, at the same time graduated from the Latvian State University with a degree in humanities. Since 1985 sings as a soloist with the Latvian Radio Choir. Together with the choir prepares and records from 20 to 22 programs and participates in about 50 concerts yearly around the world. As a soloist she has participated in performances of works by Mozart, Bach, Saint-Saens, Vivaldi, Händel, Schubert, etc. She has also performed a lot of contemporary repertoire as works by Berio, Scelsi and Latvian contemporary composers. Ieva Ezeriete has been performing in many major music festivals around Europe – in France, UK, Germany, Israel and many other countries.

The Pärnu City Orchestra was established in 1994. The orchestra takes part in musical performances of the Endla Theatre. The opera “Le nozze di Figaro” was staged as a joint project with Pärnu Opera and Ballet Foundation. In co-operation with the Vaasa Opera “La Boheme” by Puccini was staged in Pärnu. Pärnu City Orchestra has given about 40 symphony concerts during past seasons. Its repertoire includes musical works both by the Viennese classic composers and the 20th cent composers. The orchestra has been conducted by guest conductors such as Kristjan Järvi, Olari Elts, Paavo Järvi, Eri Klas, Zheng Xiaoying, Neeme Järvi.
Jüri Alperten was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1957 to a family of musicians. In 1979 he graduated cum laude from the Estonian Academy of Music. His major fields of concentration being piano under Prof Bruno Lukk and orchestral conducting under Prof Roman Matsov. In the same year he was admitted to the St Petersburg Conservatory for postgraduate studies in opera and orchestral conducting. Four years were spent working with Prof Ilya Musin. Yuri Alperten has conducted with Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Minsk Philharmonic, Cishinau Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra, Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic,  Latvian National Orchestra, Czech Radio Orchestra, Estonian National Opera, Latvian National Opera, etc. Main repertoire: “Attila”, “Un Ballo in Maschera”, “Nabucco”, “Don Carlos” and “Traviata” by Verdi, “Eugen Onegin”, “The Swanlake” and “The Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky, “Figaro’s Marriage”, “Don Giovanni” and “Magic Flute” by Mozart, “Madama Butterfly” and “La Boheme” by Puccini, “Il barbiere di Siviglia” by Rossini, complete symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, etc. Since 1998 is he the chief conductor of the Pärnu City Orchestra. Press resonance: .a higly emotionally spirited Yuri Alperten, who has full command of the score “Carmen” (Theater der Zeit), “The Flying Dutchman” was a genuinely Wagnerian performance. The conducting of Yuri Alperten was superb. (Sovetskaya Muzyka)

Video-clip “Mozart & Salieri”

● Tue Aug 2 at 7 pm Vanemuine Concert House, Tartu
Slava Grigoryan (guitar, Australia)

Slava Grigoryan, fragm, 1 min 24 sec, mp3

Slava Grigoryan was born in 1976 in Kazakhstan and immigrated with his family to Australia in 1981. As a major prizewinner at the Tokyo International Classical Guitar Competition, Slava was signed by Sony Music under the Sony Classical Label in 1995 and has since released 4 solo albums. Reviewing his New York debut, the New York Times said: “A remarkable recital., what comes across here is guitar playing of uncommon originality and authority”.  Slava Grigoryan has performed at many national and international Festivals such as the Brighton International Festival, the Harrogate International Arts Festival, Dresden Musikfestspiel, the Newbury Festival in the UK, the Guitar Festival of Great Britain, the Darwin International Guitar Festival, the GFA Festival in La Jolla, California, the Wirral International Guitar Festival, the Al Bustan Festival in Beirut, the New Zealand Arts Festival and the Sydney Festival. He has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Radio Orchestra and more recently the Klagenfurt Symphony Orchestra in Austria and the Halle Orchestra in Manchester, UK. In 1998 Slava was named Young Australian of the Year for the Arts,  and in 2000 he appeared as soloist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra as part of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Arts Festival.

● Wed Aug 3 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
Australian Guitar Quartet “Saffire”

Saffire, fragm, 1 min 1 sec, mp3

The members of Saffire – the Australian Guitar Quartet are four of the most successful and talented guitarists that Australia has produced – Gareth Koch, Len Grigoryan, Karin Schaupp and Slava Grigoryan. The group formed spontaneously in 2002 for a large outdoor concert, playing to some 2000 people.  Based on the success of this concert and their synergy as an ensemble, the four soloists decided that Saffire should become a permanent ensemble. In a 2003 concert review, the Melbourne Age stated: “The four worked with such extraordinary co-ordination that they seem to be guided by an invisible conductor. Actually, their split-second timing relied on eye contact, body movement and intuition, along with a commitment to excellence that was evident in every flawless phrase. Perhaps most importantly, the enjoyment these four derive from one another’s company imbued the music with vitality as well as virtuosity; passion as well as precision.  Their enjoyment spilled off the stage and into the audience, too, making this – Saffire’s debut Melbourne performance – an immensely satisfying and pleasurable experience.” In 2003 Saffire released their debut self-titled CD with ABC Classics. The album soared to number one on the Australian Classical Music Charts within days of its release and went on to win the ARIA for Best Classical Album of the Year. The instruments normally played by Saffire are 3 standard classical guitars and an eight-string guitar. New compositions for the group include flamenco, dobro,  steel-string and 12-string guitars. In 2004, Saffire released an exciting CD, appeared at numerous festivals.  2005 includes touring Europe and Japan. 

● Sat Aug 20 at 8 pm Pärnu Concert Hall
THE EAST – SO CLOSE AND SO FAR
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra
Vestard Shimkus (piano, Latvia)
Neeme Punder (bamboo flute)
Conductor Eri Klas
Program: Pärt & Vähi, Shostakovitch & Schnittke

Tallinn Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1993. The conductor Tõnu Kaljuste has bounded the widely well-known Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir with TCO’s activities. The members of the orchestra are all outstanding musicians, who often perform as soloists and are invited to perform with various other orchestras and ensembles.
TCO has performed in many prestigious music festivals: Bach Cantatas Festival in Milan, Bremen Music Festival, Huddersfield Festival of Contemporary Music, Glasperlenspiel, etc. Concert tours have taken the orchestra and the choir to Canada, the USA, Japan, Israel, and to most of European countries.
Vestard Shimkus’ virtuosity echoes the golden age of pianism – the age when Liszt and later Busoni, Rachmaninoff, Horowitz reigned on the stage. He is a prize-winner of 12 (!) competitions, among them B Dvarionas International Young Pianists Competition (1994, 1st prize), International Pianists Competition in Riga (1995, 1st prize), F Chopin International Young Pianists Competition in Poland (1996, 1st prize and Grand Prix), W A Mozart International Young Pianists Competition (1997, 1st prize), Competition of Young Performers “Nova Nomina” (1998, 1st prize), International Performers Competition in Stockholm (2001, 1st prize and Grand Prix), F Liszt International Pianists Competition in Los Angeles (2002, 1st prize). He has been awarded a scholarship by the International Foundation “New names of the Planet”, and is a winner of Latvian Grand Music Award 2002. Shimkus has participated in different music festivals and given concerts in Latvia, Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland, Germany, the USA, Italy, Hungary, etc.

Vestard Shimkus, fragm, 1 min 3 sec, mp3
Neeme Punder & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, fragm, 1 min 14 sec, mp3

Thanks: Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Pärnu City Government, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Filmimees, St Elisabeth Church, Harald Bieck, Selvadore Raehni

Audio-clip in Estonian
Video-clip

Organizers:
Kadri Kiis – assistant producer
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – management director
Marika Pärk & Margit Saks – Pärnu Concert Hall
Piret Mikk – designer
Vello Rand, Virve Hallik & Clelia Piirsoo – advertisement
Peeter Vähi – artistic director

See also: Glasperlenspiel-festivals; Glasperlenspiel on Facebook, Glasperlenspiel 2014, Glasperlenspiel 2013, Glasperlenspiel 2012; Glasperlenspiel 2011; Glasperlenspiel 2010; Glasperlenspiel 2009; Glasperlenspiel 2008; Glasperlenspiel 2007; Glasperlenspiel 2006; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004
Press resonance
animated symbols of Glasperlenspiel