Estonian Premieres
Tõnu Kõrvits (b. 1969)
To the Moonlight (2020)
Ülo Krigul (b. 1978)
Chordae (2013)
The Bow (2021)
Helena Tulve (b. 1972)
L'ombre derrière toi (2011)
Tauno Aints (b. 1975)
Overture Estonia (2014)
Lepo Sumera (1950-2000)
Olympic Music I (1980)
Estonian Festival Orchestra/Paavo Järvi
rec. 2012-21, Pärnu Concert Hall, Estonia
ALPHA 863 [58]
Kõrvits' music is now fairly well-known and readily available in commercial recordings, some of which have been reviewed on this site. To the Moonlight composed in 2020 is dedicated to Paavo Järvi. The composer describes the work as “Three Blues for Symphony Orchestra”. The very beginning of the first movement sounds as if written by a late classical or early romantic composer but it soon veers into Kõrvits' clearly recognisable style. As might be expected, the music is superbly crafted and displays the composer's formidable orchestral mastery. As implied by the title, the music suggests various nocturnal impressions, in turn mysterious, dreamy and troubled. According to Nele-Eva Steinfeld's insert notes, the work was inspired by Jimmy Webb's song The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Since this song is unknown territory to me, I will take the writer's words for what they are worth. Anyway this is – to my mind – more of documentary interest for the music definitely stands on its own and does not need any further explanations as to any possible subliminal programme. This is a fine addition to Kõrvits' discography and will appeal to anyone in tune with his music.
Krigul and Aints may be somewhat lesser-known outside Estonia and it is thus nice to be able to hear some of their recent work. Ülo Krigul is represented here by two fine works composed some eight years apart and dedicated to Paavo Järvi. The title of Chordae completed in 2013 implies a wide variety of possible meanings such as “chord” in English whereas in Italian it means “string” (corda). In French “accord” is not only a musical chord but also an agreement. So, what are we to do with such a mass of information? Well, the music is mainly built on fluctuating chords of various densities and unfolding in various guises. The result is a fairly gripping piece of music that is well-worth more than the occasional hearing. The Bow again alludes to various possible meanings: to take a bow, the long bow in archery and the string player’s bow. To these the composer adds another one derived from a Korean film The Bow of which the final lines run: “Power and a beautiful sound as in the tautness of a bow – I want to live like this until I draw my last breath”. The composer also thinks of the piece as his bow of gratitude to the musicians who manage to make music despite the difficult times. This is yet another fine piece, brilliantly scored for large orchestral forces. The idea for Aints' overture Estonia was the result of a commission from the 2012 Estonian Song and Dance Festival Foundation for a choral work for children's choirs. The text was about how beautiful as well as terrible Estonia can be. The overture is at first somewhat troubled in tone evoking the shadow of Shostakovich before becoming more reflective and hymn-like.
Helena Tulve is by now much better-known and already has three full discs of her music available, although one of these may be rather difficult to find. Anyway I have been quite impressed by what I know of her output for she possesses a remarkable compositional imagination in whatever genre she composes. L'ombre derrière toi (“The Shadow behind You”) recorded here is a substantial work for strings in which a trio of players (the shadow maybe) confronts a larger string orchestra. The original version is for three viola da gamba. In this performance, however, these are replaced by a trio of viola and two cellos (excellent soloists here). According to the composer, the composition is inspired by a proverb that is apparently known throughout the world, albeit with slight variations. A Japanese equivalent goes as follows: ‘Look at the Sun, and the shadows will fall behind you’. Again, one need not to be aware of all this to appreciate this splendid work that displays Tulve's instrumental mastery, heard in many of her pieces. Tulve's work as well as Kõrvits' are the real gems in this selection.
The final work here is by Lepo Sumera, whose untimely death deprived Estonian music of one of its pillars. He composed in several genres and taught many an Estonian composer of younger generations. He is represented here by his Olympic Music I composed in 1980 for the opening ceremony of the Tallinn sailing regatta at the 1980 Olympic Games. The piece was initially recorded with quadraphonic sound and the balance was deliberately altered to boost the illusion of power and multi-dimensionality. The work is built as a grand crescendo towards some sort of gigantic carillon before receding. Quite impressive indeed. By the way I wonder whether there exists any Olympic Music II and, if so, what it sounds like.
This varied programme is played throughout with conviction, commitment and impeccable ensemble. All the pieces here are well worth hearing but Kõrvits' To the Moonlight” and Tulve's L'ombre derrière toi definitely stand out.
Hubert Culot
