Glasperlenspiel Festival 2023

Glasperlenspiel presents:
● Sun, April 2nd at 5 pm in Kaarli kirik (Charles’ Church), address Toompuiestee 4, Tallinn
PALM SUNDAY CONCERT: Johann Sebastian Bach − ST JOHN PASSION
Anto Õnnis (tenor), Maria Listra (soprano), Annely Leinberg (mezzo soprano), Tõnis kaumann (baritone), Alvar Tiisler (bass), 300-member All-Estonian Choral Choir, Collegium Musicale, Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta, conductor Endrik Üksvärav

Bach composed his St John passion during his second year in Leipzig, in 1724. As the freshly appointed cantor of the St Thomas church and therefore also the music director for the four churches of Leipzig, Bach probably felt the need to prove himself in this new situation. After all, he was far from first choice for the position − one official of the city council even remarked that, in lieu of the best man, they would have to make do with a mediocrity. With the St John passion, Bach was surely able to surpass these doubts, as the piece was the most extensive he had written so far.
Bach repeatedly returned to the piece, revising it three times: in 1725, 1732 and 1749. This clearly shows how much value Bach placed on the work. Nowadays, the original work of 1724 is the most often performed version.

Bach. St John Passion, fragment; Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta and conductor Andres Mustonen; 3 min 35 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps

Glasperlenspiel presents:
● Thu, June 22nd at 7 pm in Triigi Philharmonic, Saaremaa island
MASS OF MARY
Collegium Musicale & Maria Faust Band, Endrik Üksvärav (conductor)
Faust

Maria Faust’s Mass of Mary (2020/2022) combines the musical influences of medieval music, jazz, sonoristic contemporary music, as well as the older Estonian folk tunes. In itself, it is characteristic of today’s postmodern sense of art that the „new” can often also be a rethinking of the old, time-tested values of musical art, manifested in the contemporary musical context. This is how the transcendent connection between today’s soundscape and the music world of centuries ago could sound like.
Since Mass of Mary is dedicated to victims of domestic violence, the composer has used in her work not only the liturgical Mass text, but also the esteemed playwright Eero Epner’s compilation of samples from texts by Karl Ristikivi and other poets. They give the traditional Mass text in certain parts (Mother, Child, Holy Spirit, and Finale) a more intimate, additional meaning referring to the fragility of family relationships regarding victims of domestic violence.
The sound language of Mass of Mary is relatively experimental in the sense that musical stylistic references alternate quite quickly here. Thus, bright and gentle musical motifs in the female voices of the choir can immediately switch to the jazz-like theme development of the instrumental ensemble (Gloria), and the laconicity, similar to the motifs of the Middle Ages, can be transformed into the artistic „barking” of the male voices of the choir and the mellow whispers of the female voices (Sanctus/Benedictus).

MAIN PROGRAMME IN TARTU, JULY 6th–11th

● Thu, July 6th at 7 pm St John’s church
TWILIGHT OF THE SENSES
Marcel Johannes Kits (cello), Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta, conductor Neeme Järvi
Kr. Järvi (première), Haydn, Tubin/Coleman

● Fri, July 7th at 12.15 pm St John’s church (free entrance)
Recordings versus live, ensemble Arsis, surprises, gifts

● Fri, July 7th at 7 pm St John’s church
UPSTREAM: PRINCE ANDRÉ VOLKONSKY – 90
Alexei Lubimov (piano, France), Helen Lokuta (mezzo soprano), Prezioso, Peeter Volkonski
Volkonsky, Mozart, Schubert, Silvestrov, Pärt

● Fri, July 7th at 10 pm St John’s church
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Johan Randvere (piano, comments), Anna Litvinova (sand painting)
Mussorgsky, Eller

● Sat, July 8th at 7 pm St John’s church
● Sun, July 9th at 7 pm Viljandi (in cooperation with Viljandi Early Music Festival)
MUSTONEN – 70
Keren Hadar (soprano, Israel), Kremerata Baltica, conductor Andres Mustonen
Haydn, Handel, Beethoven-Vähi, Corelli-Kaumann

● Sun, July 9th at 3 pm “Autovabaduse” (‘Car-free’) Avenue (in collaboration with the City of Tartu and Tiigi Seltsimaja, free entrance)
Vocal ensemble Estonian Voices
HOPE NEVER DIES
Kõrvits (première), folk songs, Voorand

● Sun, July 9th at 7 pm St John’s church
STABAT MATER / MUSICA BALTICA & MEDITERRANEA
Kajsa Dahlbäck (soprano, Finland), Helsinki Baroque
Buxtehude, Meder, Victoria, Cancionero de Uppsala

● Mon, July 10th at 7 pm St John’s church
CURIOSITIES!
Albin Paulus (Jew’s harp, “Billy goat horn”), Christoph Angerer (viola d’amore), Peter Frisée (harpsichord), Concilium musicum Wien (Austria)
Haydn, Albrechtsberger, Weißmann

● Mon, July 10th at 10 pm St John’s church
● Wed, July 12th at 7 pm, Jämaja church, Kingdom of Torgu, Saaremaa island
INSPIRED BY VIENNA
Elisabeth Plank (harp, Austria)
Spohr, Mahler, Kowalsky (première), Parish-Alvars

Elias Parish-Alvars, Elisabeth Plank, fragment, 1  min 58 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps

● Tue, July 11th at 7 pm St John’s church
CARMEN
Giunter Percussion (Lithuania), Džeraldas Bidva (violin, Lithuania), Tadas Motiečius (accordion, Lithuania) Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, conductor Modestas Pitrėnas 
Bizet-Shchedrin, Bartulis

ALREADY HAPPENED

Glasperlenspiel presents:
● Thu, March 16th at 6 pm in Tubin Hall, Tartu
SCHUMANN: REVISITED
Kristjan Randalu (piano)

The Dichterliebe song cycle might be Robert Schumann’s most celebrated cycle of Lieder and, following Franz Schubert’s earlier cycles Die Schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, constitutes part of the central core of the genre in musical literature. Based on German poet Heinrich Heine’s Lyrisches Intermezzo, a 65-poems spanning collection first published in 1823, Dichterliebe in a way even represents the epitome of romantic poetry set to music. Both, Heine and Schumann, were progressive spirits who bent genres and rewrote the rules of their crafts. Therefore, it only seems right that Estonia-born pianist Kristjan Randalu, a forward- thinking mind in today’s contemporary music world, would do his part in bending genres by tackling this song cycle and updating its structure and vocabulary with the language of the 21st century.

Schumann/Randalu, Dichterliebe, fragment, 2 min 8 sec, MP3

Organizers:
Peeter Vähi – artistic director
Taavet – artistic adviser
Tiina Jokinen – executive director
Kadri Kiis – producer, accountant
Kaidi Ugandi – manager of Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta
Meeta Morozov – musicologist, editor of festival booklet
Olavi Sööt – co-producer, video, logistics
Mart Kivisild – design
Reno Hekkonens – marketing director, PR
Johannes Vähi – co-producer, webmaster, sound engineering, logistics
Marje Hansar – social media

Special thanks: Tartu City Government, Urmas Klaas, Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Österreichische Botschaft Tallinn, NASOM, Canon, Toyota, St John’s church, Kaupo Kiis, Kristel Leppik, Anne-Liise Kiis, Maara Parhomenko, volunteers

Next Glasperlenspiel Festival: July 4th–9th, 2024

Media reviews

Previous festivals: 2022; 2021; 2020; 2019; 2018; 2017; 2016; 2015; 2014; 2013; 2012; 2011; 2010; 2009; 2008; 2007; 2006; 2005; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004