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 2004–2005 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 2001–2002 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
Programme: 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
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 Orchestra. 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 2nd 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)
● 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
Programme: 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
Tiina Jokinen – 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