RISTO JOOST

Conductor

Orchestral and opera conductor. Conductor of the Year 2009 (in Estonia)!

 

Biography

Conductor Risto Joost (b 1980) has graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music, received further training at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and completed postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm majoring in orchestral conducting with Prof Jorma Panula.

Risto Joost has conducted many well-known orchestras such as Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Ostrobothian Chamber Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and many others. In 2006–2011, Risto Joost was the principal conductor of the Tallinn Music High School Symphony Orchestra.
In June 2007, Risto Joost made his debut in the Estonian National Opera conducting Erkki-Sven Tüür’s opera Wallenberg and since 2009 holds the permanent position of conductor. In Estonian National Opera he has conducted operas La Bohème by Puccini, Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev, La Finta Giardiniera by Mozart (in co-operation with the opera studio of the Estonian Academy of Music) and short ballet Pelléas and Mélisande by Schönberg and ballet 2nd Symphnony by Schumann as well as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, Coppélia by Delibes, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs by Kocsák and Manon by Massenet.
Especially notworthy contribution to the Estonian music is Risto Joost’s role as the founder and initiator of two sizable ensembles: in 1999, he founded chamber choir Voces Musicales, and in 2008, chamber orchestra Tallinn Sinfonietta. In 2009, Risto Joost was elected the Conductor of the Year by Estonian Choral Society, Voces Musicales was awarded the title of the Choir of the Year and the CD Pilgrim’s Song featuring music by Arvo Pärt performed by Tallinn Sinfonietta and chamber choir Voces Musicales was elected the CD of the Year. The afore-mentioned recording gathered critical acclaim in Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine.
Since 2000, Risto Joost has been a regular participant in the Estonian Music Days, Nyyd Festival, Festival of the Young Estonian conductors (in Tartu), conducting more than 50 première performances ranging from chamber music to extensive symphonic repertoire with different orchestras.
Risto Joost has conducted the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the Estonian National Male Choir RAM, State Choir Latvija, Swedish Radio Choir, Ars Nova Copenhagen, the Netherlands Chamber Choir etc.

As a singer (counter-tenor), Risto Joost has performed in Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, France and the USA. His repertoire includes music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods as well as from the 20th and 21st centuries. Latest solo performances have taken place in Steve Reich Festival in London, Vantaa Early Music Festival in Finalnd, Stockholm Early Music Festival in Sweden, Riga Early Music Festival in Latvia, Flandria festival Musica antiqua in Brugge, Belgium, festival Glasperlenspiel, Haapsalu Early Music Festival, Estonian Music Days and Nyyd Festival. He has performed with following orhestras: Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Baroque Orchestra, Meder Concort, Corelli Concort, Reval Ensmble (Estonia), Concerto Copenhagen (Denmark), Scotland Chamber Orchestra, Kronos Quartet (USA), Phantasm (England), B’rock (Belgium). In 2001–2002, Risto Joost was a singer in the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, from 2003 to 2009, he was involved in the vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices (artistic director Paul Hillier), 2000–2010, in Danish vocal ensemble Ars Nova. In November 2007, Risto Joost sang the leading role in Antonio Vivaldi’s opera Il Giustino with Latvian Baroque orchestra Sansara and in May 2011, Henry Purcell’s semi-opera Indian Queen with baroque orchestra B’rock (Gent).

2010−2011, he holds the position of the artistic adviser to Glasperlenspiel Festival. Since the season of 2011/2012 Risto Joost is the principal conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Choir.

 

Discography

	ARVO PÄRT. PILGRIM’S SONG Award: Record of the Year 2009! (Choral Music category, Estonia) Performed by: Chamber Choir Voces Musicales and Tallinn Sinfonietta ERP 2309 Arvo Pärt Te Deum, fragm, 3 min 42 sec, mp3
	LP: PEETER VÄHI. A CHANT OF BAMBOO Performed by: Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Slava Grigoryan, Neeme Punder, Nils Rõõmussaar, Andres Uibo. Live (listen to the concert) ERP 1006 Peeter Vähi A Chant Of Bamboo, fragm, live rec, 3 min 19 sec, mp3
	RENÉ EESPERE. DE SPE Performed by: François Soulet, Jelena Voznesenskaya, Sauli Tiilikainen, René Soom, Anu Lamp, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra ERP 1909 René Eespere, Clarinet Concerto, fragm, 104 sec, mp3
	FRIDRICH BRUK. IN THE FINNISH MODE Poem Performed by: Tallinn Sinfonietta F&NB CD-12 Tallinn Sinfonietta & Risto Joost, Poem for 10 Soloists, fragm, 2 min 33 sec, mp3
	EESTI HELILOOJAD / ESTONIAN COMPOSERS (VI) Music by Tulev, Tally, Kõrvits, Veeroos, Lill, Kozlova ERRCD0013

Arvo Pärt Tabula rasa, 3 min 35 sec, mp3

Listen also live recordings with Risto Joost: oratorios, Baroque, Estonian music, contemporary music, chamber orchestras, choirs, sacred music

Press resonance

With the Te Deum /.../ going to be measured against the version on ECM /.../ which must be acknowledged as the benchmark recording. /.../ Summa, available in more versions than you can shake a baton at, is one of the best. Performance 5/5, Recording 5/5 (Barry Witherden, BBC Music Magazine, 2010, the UK)

Under the musically astute and intelligent direction of Risto Joost, Pärt is given a new lease of live. /.../ Joost navigates a clear course between uncertain modal and uplifting major moments, giving shape of its aura of endlessness. (Pwyll ap Siôn, Gramophone, 12 / 2010, Inglismaa)

Risto Joost is a young man dividing himself between singing and conducting. For him it does not seem to be a problem to float with elegant ease from the one shore of the purity of Gregorian chant to the other of the extreme complexity of sounds in the contemporary music. (Mirjam Tally, Eesti Ekspress, Estonia)

Risto Joost’s feeling of Bach’s music is very precise and free of sentiment. No juggling or playing around with emotions. And strange as it might seem, this creates (possibly also in the players?) a special feeling of liberation, giving each and every one a chance to fill the music with one’s personal inner richness. (Postimees, 11.01.07, Estonia)

In Estland wird so etwas auf Weltniveau kultiviert... Die Musik blüht auf zu spirituellen Höhen... Chorleiter Risto Joost präsentiert sich als einer der Großen seines Fachs. Wertung: ***** (12.06.10, Achener Zeitung, Germany, whole article)

Joost führt Chor und Orchester ausdrucksstark und verknüpft mühelos die Anklänge an alte mit zeitgenössischer Musik. (Die Tonkunst, 10 / 2010, Germany)

Der preisgekrönte Kammerchor Voces Musicales und die Tallinn Sinfonietta musizieren unter der Leitung von Risto Joost in einer derart kundigen wie intensiven Art, dass man denken möchte, die nationale Herkunftz sei von Vorteil oder gar unabdingbar für ein überzeugendes Ergebnis. (neue chorzeit, 2 / 2011, Germany)

... kapellimestari Risto Joost johti teosken suurin ja ekspressiivisin, toisaalta tarkoin elein, joihin orkesteri vastasi hyvin auliisti, ja tuloksena oli värikylläistä ja mukaansatempaavaa soitantaa. /.../ Risto Joost johti musiikkia suuria linjoja maalaillen ja sai soittajiston innostettua mukaansa romanttiseen sointihurmioon, joka varsinkin sinfonian Adagio-osassa kasvoi huikaiseviin korkeuksiin. (Petteri Pitko, Keskipohjanmaa, 02.03.10, Finland, whole article)

Dat applaus was voor een groot deel ook voor de jonge Estische dirigent Risto Joosten die het koor liedde. Zijn duidelijke directie en zijn aandacht voor groote muzikale spanningsbogen zorgten voor sublieme koorzang. Daarnaast wist hij tot in de kleinste details het koor tot een eenheld te smeden. (Gerben Bergstra, Friesch Dagblad, 07.10.10, the Netherlands)

Koori juhatas Risto Joost, ma väga hindan teda. Ta on professionaalne noor inimene, kes tahab asju hästi teha. (Neeme Järvi, Eesti Päevaleht, 30.06.09, Estonia)

... dirigeeris Risto Joost. Avateos “Also sprach Nietzsche” (“Nõnda kõneles Nietzsche”) veenis oma ürgjõulisusega. ... “Ülim vaikus” mõjutas kuulajaid oma sugestiivsuse ja kõlakontrastidega. Imetlusväärne oli kellade ansambli täpne töö... Dirigent pani tavapärase käteliigutusega vaikuse “käima” ning publik ja esinejad suutsid ideaalilähedast vaikust säilitada umbes viis minutit. Kulminatsiooniks kujunes teose IV osa... Siin segunesid palved /.../ kõiksuse tunnetusega. (Alo Põldmäe, Sirp, 31.07.09, Estonia, whole article)

... Mozarti tuntumaid flöödikontserte D-duur KV 314. Soleeris prantslasest flöödikunstnik, Dresdeni muusikakõrgkooli professor Stéphane Réty... – ka kõige kiiremad noodid olid selgelt ja puhtalt välja mängitud. /.../ Eriti hea oli kuulata kontserdi viimast, rondo-osa, kus orkester ja dirigent ei jäänud solistile virtuoossuse ja temperamendi poolest sugugi alla. (Mart Jaanson, Sirp, 05.08.11, Estonia, whole article)

... kunagi varem ei ole üks dirigent või koor saanud kolme preemiat korraga. Aasta dirigendiks 2009 valiti Risto Joost, aasta kooriks tema kammerkoor Voces Musicales ning aasta kooriplaadiks nende möödunud sügisel valminud CD “Pilgrim’s Song” Arvo Pärdi muusikaga /.../ vahendas ERR Uudised. (Postimees, 24.01.10, Estonia, whole article)

Dirigent teab oma määratus musikaalsuses ja intelligentsuses, mida ta tahab, ja saab selle oma tohutu sisendusjõuga muusikutelt ka kätte. Kõikide teoste esituses on tunda suurt keskendumist, äärmiselt pühendunud sisseelamist. (Kersti Inno, Muusika, 1 / 2010, Estonia)

... Pärdi “Te Deum”. Tegemist oli suure õnnestumisega: Risto Joost kujundas väga hea terviku... Kuid kõige märkimisväärsemaks kujunes selle ettekande eriline vaimsus ja sügavus. Vahel võrreldakse /.../ Voces Musicalest ja Filharmoonia Kammerkoori... mulle meeldis Vocese esitus rohkem. Ei tea, kas see tuleb sellest, et ühtedele on see töö, aga teised musitseerivad oma vabast ajast ja tahtest... (Maarja Kindel, Muusika, 11 / 2009, Estonia)

Allan Vurma hindab teda lauljana: “Risto Joosti iseloomustab suur musikaalsus, tema esitatud karakterid on värvikad ja kaasakiskuvad ning samas muusikaliselt täpsed. Lauldava teksti fraseerimine kannab hästi edasi mõtet.” Esinemisi, enda proovilepanekut on nii noore muusiku kohta tõepoolest kuhjaga. (Priit Kuusk, Sirp, 04.12.09, Estonia)

Risto Joost on vormiliselt küll koori juurest lahkunud, aga juhatab endiselt selle suurprojekte. Tema muusikaline töö ühendab praegu noore dirigendi energia juba kogenud professionaali detailitäpsuse ja tervikutajuga. Joosti tuntus ja usaldatavus põhjapoolses Euroopas toob siia väga põnevaid soliste ja „Maarja vesper" on nende valiku suhtes eriti nõudlik... (Toomas Siitan, Sirp, 20.01.12, Estonia, whole article)

 

Download: Risto Joost (photo by K Kikkas / Eesti Foto, jpg, 300 dpi, 1570 KB)

See also: concert schedule (2008–2012) of Risto Joost
Exclusively managed by ERP Artist from Sep 1st, 2008 until Dec 31st, 2011

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