A distinct and diverse set of premieres Estonian Premieres
Paavo Järvi’s vibrant Estonian celebration strikes a chord with Steph Power
Works by Tauno Aints, Tõnu Ko¯rvits, Ülo Krigul, Lepo Sumera and Helena Tulve Estonian Festival Orchestra/ Paavo Järvi Alpha Classics ALPHA 863 58:35 mins Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi has long championed his homeland’s orchestral composers, and the combination of his tautly expressive Estonian Festival Orchestra (EFO) and the five creatively diverse voices here is captivating. All are aged between 44 and 53 – except for the much-missed Lepo Sumera (19502000), whose Olympic Music I makes a poignant album close. Written for a 1980 Moscow Olympics opening ceremony, its intriguing contrasts helped lay the groundwork for the robust, surging soundscapes of younger peers while looking forward to his own six symphonies to come.
Tauno Aints (b1978) is more overtly muscular in his 2014
Ouverture Estonia, composed for the Pärnu Music Festival which had birthed Järvi’s EFO three years before. Yet the celebration is initially overcast by clouds which only slowly dissipate. The ‘shadow behind you’ becomes a starting point for Helena Tulve (b1972), in whose L’ombre derrière toi a flickering, undulating string orchestra supports and envelops a resonant solo trio of viola and two cellos (Máté Szücs, Indrek Leivategija and Marius Järvi).
Two works by Ülo Krigul (b1978) colourfully explore ambiguities of title and sound: Chordae – chords, accord, a string – and The Bow – string-playing, a physical gesture of acknowledgement. Most striking and affecting, Tõnu Kõrvits (b1969) offers an exquisite paean To the Moonlight. Written as a lockdown ‘Three Blues for Symphony Orchestra’, his smudged harmonies and melting textures fashion melancholy into something radiant – and thrillingly distinctive. PERFORMANCE ★★★★★ RECORDING ★★★★★
Sumera’s Olympic Music I makes a poignant album close