Glasperlenspiel Music Festival
Mon, July 14th at 7 pm, St. John’s church (Jaani Str. 5, Tartu)
RAIN IN THE PINE FOREST
Trio Hans Christian Aavik – Triinu Piirsalu – Karolina Aavik
Beethoven (Moonlight Sonata), Märt-Matis Lill – 50 (La pioggia nel pineto, premiere), Milhaud, Kõrvits, Rääts
Composer Märt-Matis Lill has said about his new work: „My Rain in the Pine Forest is inspired by the description of the summer rain in a poem by Gabriele D’Annunzio, one of the best-known Italian poets of his era, that with poetic passion and refined linguistic precision describes the rain shower that the poet experiences in the Tuscan rural idyll near Lucca. Rain starts and stops different sound streams, mixing and muffling the sounds of pines, grasshoppers, the sea and various plants. All this together creates a particularly Mediterranean painting, delicious and in its own special way intense poetic environment, the axis of which is the summer rain that permeates all the senses.”
Hans Christian Aavik – violin
“It’s always a pleasure to work with Hans Christan Aavik. He is an exceptonal Estonian talent with a distnctive musical voice. His artistry and depth set him apart as a truly unique violinist.” (Paavo Järvi)
Hans Christian Aavik is the 1st prize winner of the 2022 Carl Nielsen Internatinal Violin Competition and recipient of the Usedom Prize. Named “One to Watch” by Gramophone, he is praised for his “probing intellect and curiosity” combined with “an extroverted charisma” (Bachtrack).
Recent international engagements have included chamber music performances at the Wigmore Hall, Köln Deutschlandfunk Kammermusiksaal and Kölner Philarmonie. Hans Christian Aavik returns to the Pärnu Music Festival in July 2025 as soloist in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa and joins Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra for further celebrations of the composer’s 90th birthday this autumn,appearing as soloist alongside Midori at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Zürich Tonhalle, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and New York Carnegie Hall. Additonal highlights of the 2024/2025 season included performances of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Tabea Zimmermann and Ensemble Resonanz; Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Kristansand Symphony Orchestra and Julian Rachlin; Erkki-Sven Tüür’s 2nd Violin Concerto with the Würtemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn and Risto Joost; the world premiere of Tõnu Kõrvits’ Double Concerto for violin and piano with Karolina Aavik.
Hans Christian Aavik will be Young Artst in Focus with the renowned Würtembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn starting from season 2025/2026. This partnership will last for two years and includes symphony concerts, lead & play projects, an education program and chamber music. Following the success at the 2022 Carl Nielsen Competition – including Prize for Best Interpretation and the Odense Symphony Orchestra Prize – Hans Christian has recorded his first orchestral album with conductor Gemma New, featuring the Bruch Violin Concerto and Erkki-Sven Tüür’s 2nd Violin Concerto, to be released on Orchid Classics in 2025. He also recently appeared in Deutsche Grammophon’s new landmark series Rising Stars on STAGE+ and, together with pianist Karolina Aavik, recorded three singles on the label’s Musical Moments series; the 3rd movement of the Enescu Violin Sonata no. 3; Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium; and Eduard Oja’s Aelital’s Suite III, The Dance of the Magazitly. His debut album Aeternus with Karolina Aavik was recorded in 2021 and featured works by Bach, Schubert and Pärt.
Hans Christian performs on a Giovanni Paolo Maggini violin (ca 1610) and a bow made by Victor Fétque (ca 1930), generously on loan from the Estonian Foundation of Musical Instruments and the Sapožnin family.
Triinu Piirsalu is one of the most outstanding Estonian violinists of her generaton. She is a musician with emotional and suggestive playing style, creative soloist, and a passionate chamber musician. In 2023 she started her master studies at the University of Music and Theater Munich in the violin class of Prof. Mi-kyung Lee and is simultaneously completing her soloist diploma studies in the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Prof. Peter Herresthal.
Triinu has participated in several national and international competitions. In the beginning of year 2024 she was announced as the next holder of the stipendium at Hansa Group Young Musician fund for her support of her studies. ln 2023 she was selected with four outstanding young Norwegian musicians by the Bergen Philharmonics to play as a soloist with the orchestra in their traditional “De Unges Konsert”. This was accompanied by the Grieg fund prize. In the same year Triinu won the 1st prize at the Anja Ignatus Violin Competition in Helsinki; in 2020 she received the III prize and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra’s special prize at the Estonian String Players’ Competition; in 2020, she won the 2nd prize in the Estonian TV competition “Classical Stars” and was the audience’s favourite. Estonian conductor and the member of the jury Olari Elts has said: “A very musical violinist with a particularly warm tone, you can hear from her playing that she really enjoys what she does. Technically very capable player with a big perspective.”
Triinu Piirsalu plays on the Michele Deconet’s violin, 1760. But during her study years in Helsinki and Oslo, Triinu became more and more interested in folk music of different countries, and while studying in Norway, she has also started playing the Hardanger fiddle.
Karolina Aavik is a recognized and internationally acclaimed Estonian pianist whose artistic activity has received widespread attention. In 2023, she participated in Deutsche Grammophon’s prestigious Rising Stars STAGE+ series, which highlights young and talented musicians on the path to an international career. Karolina is primarily dedicated to chamber music and performs regularly in Estonia and Germany as well as in renowned concert halls and festivals across Europe. At the invitation of Cristian Măcelaru, Karolina Aavik and Hans Christian Aavik will perform the Enescu Violin Sonata cycle at the 2025 George Enescu Festival.
Karolina Aavik is currently completing her studies at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts under the guidance of Professor Angelika Merkle, having made significant progress in her field. She previously earned her Master’s degree from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre under the supervision of Senior Lecturer Sten Lassmann. She has further developed her skills under the mentorship of several world-renowned teachers, including Professors Christoph Eggner and Jevgeny Sinaiski in Vienna, as well as Kirill Gerstein, Robert Levin, Steven Isserlis, Claudio Martínez Mehner, Sophia Rahmani, Dénes Várjon, Cristian Măcelaru, Gary Hoffman, and Antje Weithaas.
Karolina Aavik has performed at both Estonian and international festivals such as the Pärnu Music Festival, Usedom Music Festival, Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, among others — confirming her place among top-level musicians. In the current season, she has taken part in several projects of the Kronberg Academy, performing with distinguished musicians such as Inmo Yang, Hana Chang, Elias David Moncado, Pauline van der Rest, Bryan Cheng, Haesue Lee, Cosima Soulez Larivière, Ivan Skanavi and Dmytro Udovychenko
Organizers:
Peeter Vähi – artistic director
Tiina Jokinen – executive director
Kadri Kiis – producer, accountant
Meeta Vardja – musicologist, editor of festival booklet
Mart Kivisild – design
Olavi Sööt – co-producer, video, logistics
Reno Hekkonens – marketing director, PR
Johannes Vähi – co-producer, webmaster, sound engineering, logistics
Rebeca Birk – social media
Special thanks: Tartu City Government, Urmas Klaas, Triin Käpp, Jana Raud, Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Canon and Overall, Toyota, St John’s church, Kaupo Kiis, Kristel Leppik, volunteers
Previous festivals: 2024; 2023; 2022; 2021; 2020; 2019; 2018; 2017; 2016; 2015; 2014; 2013; 2012; 2011; 2010; 2009; 2008; 2007; 2006; 2005; Archives: Glasperlenspiel 2003 and 2004