Foreword

I am delighted that we can con-clude the month of the celebra-tions of the EU enlargementwith a concert of fine Estonianmusicians. Today’s programmewill be a good example of thecontribution of Estonian musicto the European and worldmusical heritage and the deeproots of the musical culture ofour country. I am honoured topresent the Estonian trio in theirfirst London recital appearanceat the Purcell Room, South BankCentre. The recital is an initia-tive of the Embassy and LACCSto promote Estonian music inthe United Kingdom.

The Estonian trio is formed byArvo Leibur, violin, Terje Teras-maa, vibraphone and Heiki Mät-lik, guitar. They have playedtogether since 1995 and haveperformed in various concertvenues. The trio has issued CDswith Spanish, Latin Americanand Estonian music. Their CDfrom 2000, “Tango King, AstorPiazolla”, won the first prize ofthe Estonian records industry inthe classical music category. TheEstonian trio have also appearedin concerts tours in Norway,Sweden Denmark, Holland, andregularly perform at theEstonian contemporary festivalsplaying works by composerssuch as Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis,

Lepo Sumera, Erkki-Sven Tüür,Ester Mägi and Raimo Kangro.

Tonight’s programme include aselection of pieces from twocontinents. The European musicis represented in the first part byfour composers. Johann ValentinMeder (l649-1719), with Chaconnea masterpiece of the Balticbaroque. Enrique Granados’(l867-1916) Spanish dances arebased on the Spanish nationalfolk music. The concert contin-ues with Manuel de Falla's(1876-1946) Danza Española NoI from the opera La Vida Breve,which is inspired by the Spanishnational spirit. However thebreadth of both Spanish com-posers are reflected in theirmusical inspirations which areby no means limited to localboundaries, since their music isnow part of concert hall reper-toire in Europe and the Ameri-cas. The first part of the concertends with Tango Suite, a master-piece by Astor Piazzolla (I921-1992), one of the most prolificSouth American composers ofthe 20th century.

The second part of the con-cert takes us to Estonian reper-toire. It commences withWhoops, UK première by EsterMägi (b.1922), considered the“First Lady” of the country’smusic because of her long artis-

tic career. The concert contin-ues with Erkki-Sven Tüür(1959), one of the most popularEstonian composers of the lastdecade with Drama, a modernpiece in which the composerhimself attempts to combine hisown experience as a rock andclassical musician. The pro-gramme comes to a close with apiece of impulsive characterSpring Imaginations Op 66 byRaimo Kangro (1949-2001),written for guitar, violin andvibraphone. Kangro’s piece hadan innovative impetus or drivingforce which will serve as aninspiration to the modern reper-toire of the guitar in Estonia.

I wish to express my sinceregratitude to the sponsors forcontributing towards makingthis concert a successful eventand finally, my cordial thanks tothe Latin American and Carib-bean Cultural Society for itspraiseworthy efforts in organis-ing this musical evening in theUnited Kingdom.

Dr Kaja TaelAmbassador

London 27th May 2004

21st INTERNATIONAL CONCERT SERIESPresented in association with

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA

ESTONIAN TRIO

ARVO LEIBUR, violinTERJE TERASMAA, vibrafon

HEIKI MATLIK, classical & electric guitar

THURSDAY 27th MAY 2004, at 7.30pmPURCELL ROOM, RFH, LONDON, SE1 8XX

PROGRAMME

CHACONNEJOHANN VALENTIN MEDER

(1649-1719)

From 12 DANZAS ESPAÑOLASNo 1 GalanteNo 2 OrientalNo 3 Fandango

ENRIQUE GRANADOS(1876-1916)

DANZA ESPAÑOLA No 1MANUEL DE FALLA

(1876-1946)

TANGO SUITE No 1 & 3ASTOR PIAZZOLLA

(1921-1992)

INTERVAL

WHOOPS (First UK Première)ESTER MÄGI

(b.1922)

DRAMA (First UK Première)ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR

(b.1959)

KEVADNÃGEMUSED OP 66, (2000)(SPRING IMAGINATIONS, First UK Première)

Hääbuv lumi, (The Vanishing Snow)Üksik helin, (A Single Sound)

Sinna-tänna, (Hither and Thither)RAIMO KANGRO

(1949-2001)

Presented by JRM MONROY MANAGEMENTPlease visit our Website at

www.laccs.com

LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEANCULTURAL SOCIETY

SECOND PART OF 20th ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMME

THE ESTONIAN TRIO

The Estonian Trio is formed by Arvo Leibur, (violin), TerjeTerasmaa, (vibrafon) and Heiki Matlik, (classical and electric guitar).They have played together since 1995, and have performed in placessuch as, Campanella, a programme featuring music of N. Paganini,Viva España, playing music by de Sarasate, de Falla, Granados,Albéniz and others and at the Grand Café featuring pieces byBrahms, Monte, Popy, Kreisler, Joplin, etc. They have also playedand recorded a CD entitled “Tango King, Astor Piazzolla”, whichwon first prize in the classical music category at the CompetitionLabel 2000, organised by the Estonian Records industry andCampare a Sera an evening programme where they played music byBondon, Fauré and Satie. They have also appeared in concert toursin Norway, Sweden, Denmark Holland and regularly perform atEstonian Contemporary Festivals playing works by composers suchas, Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Lepo Sumera, Erkki-Sven Tüür, EsterMägi and Raimo Kangro.

Arvo Leibur, studied violin at the Tallinn Secondary School of Musicand at the age of 14 won the Cociani Contest for young violinists inCzechoslovakia. Later he entered the Moscow Conservatory wherehe studied with I. Botshkova, and by 1981 he had worked as soloist indifferent ensembles and orchestras in Europe. He has recorded sev-eral CD’s including violin pieces by Eduard Tubin. Furthermore, heis the concert master of the Holland Symphony Orchestra as well asthe Estonian State Symphony Orchestra.

Terje Terasmaa, graduated from the Estonian Academy of Musicwhere she was taught by Kalju Tarasmaa. She is an experienced per-cussionist who covered a wide range of music from classical to ‘pop’.She was a member of the Estonian Symphony Orchestra and of theIn Spe, rock group and also played with the Urmas Lattikas JazzEnsemble. She continuously perform as a soloist and member ofchamber orchestras in concerts given in Belgium, Germany, France,Italy and Finland. She currently plays contemporary music with theNYYD Ensemble.

Heiki Matlik, studied classical guitar at the Tallinn Georg Ots MusicSchool and later was under the supervision of Juri Judin in Moscow.He has attended master classes given by D. Russell, A. Gilardino andJ. Rodrigo to perfect his playing skills. He performs as soloist and inchamber orchestras and has given concerts in the Nordic countries,Baltic States and in Russia, Germany, Belgium. Italy, Australia andCanada. He is currently in charge of tutorial guitar classes at theEstonian Academy of Music, and is constantly recording CD’s,including lute music by J.S. Bach under Warner Records, Antes(Germany), Forte (Estonia) and Alba Records (Finland).

ENRIQUE GRANADOS(1867-1916)

MANUEL DE FALLA(1876-1946)

ASTOR PIAZOLLA(1921-1992)

Programme Notes

CHACONNEJOHANN VALENTIN MEDER

(1649-1719)Johann Meder was a German composerborn in Wasugen an der Werra. It isknown that his first musical lessons werereceived in Leipzig. Later he earned somemoney by singing baroque songs inEisenach and playing the organ in Buxte-hude. Afterwards he visited Lubeck andgot different jobs as a musician across theBaltic coast, that is to say, Reval nowTallinn, where he was employed as a choirmaster organist. It was in this period thathe wrote several small pieces, amongthem this chaconne. He continued hiringhis services in the area, specifically in Dan-zig, Konigsberg, now Kaliningrad, again asa choir master organist and later hebecame director of music of the St Marien(Church of Holy Mary) in Gdansk. Laterhe found a job in Riga as an organist andremained in this town until his death in1719. There are many pieces attributed tohim but few of them have survived.Notably are his opera DiebestandigeArgenia, (1680), Das Erbe deutscher Musik68 and St Matthew Passion (1970) in DasChorwerk.

SPANISH DANCESNo 1 GalanteNo 2 OrientalNo 3 Fandango

ENRIQUE GRANADOS(1867-1916)

He was a pianist and composer, and at theend of 19th century, an exceptional figureof the Spanish nationalist movement. Hestudied composition in Barcelona withFelipe Pedrell a predecessor of Spanishnationalist music. Later he continuedstudying with Gevaert in Brussels and withboth Liszt and Reinecke in Leipzig. Hegave his first concert at the age of 16,afterwards went to Paris in 1887 and wasunder the supervision of Charles-Wikfredde Bériot. He went back to Barcelona in

1889 and established himself as a profes-sional concert pianist; by this time his 12Danzas españolas have gained immensepopularity. He founded a classical concertsociety with his own piano school.

As a composer he was interested inrooted music of 18th century and wrotehis famous tonadillas in ancient style. Wecould classify him as a composer of thenew late-romantic Spanish school basedon national folk music. He wrote theGoyescas, a reflection on Goya's paintingsand tapestries between 1911 and 1913.Later he was invited to New York to a con-cert showing an adaptation of these mas-terpieces into opera, but when comingback home, Granados drowned when hisship, the Sussex, was torpedoed in theChannel by a German submarine. It maybe useful to know that many of the titles ofhis 12 Danzas españolas (1912-1900) wereadded by publishers to enhance sales, forexample No 1 was originally untitled andin some cases the title have little connec-tion with the music. All of Granadospieces were written for piano but themajority of them were adapted to the gui-tar, and we can say they were restored toits original instrument.

DANZA ESPAÑOLA No 1From the opera La Vida Breve

MANUEL DE FALLA(1876-1946)

He was one of the most notorious com-posers of the early 20th century his musicrepresented the spirit of Spain at itspurest. He first took piano lessons with hismother and afterwards in Madrid withFelipe Pedrell. He won two prizes in 1905,one for piano and the other for a nationalopera.

La Vida Breve was premièred in Nice in1913 later he went to Paris where he metClaude Debussy, Paul Dukas and MauriceRavel. He was influenced by them butnever lost the spirit of Spanish folk musicwhich always served as his inspiration. He

returned to Madrid in 1914 and wrote themusic for a ballet El amor brujo (Love theMagician) premiered in Madrid in 1915.The theme refers to dances that ward offevil spirits.

On the other hand, Danza española No1 is from the opera La Vida Breve (TheShort Life) which was transcribed for theguitar by Leif Hesselberg. De Falla wasonly twenty when he completed this operawhich made him famous in the musicalworld outside Spain. He only wrote onework for guitar solo, his Homenaje pour letombeau de Claude Debussy, a masterpiece written for Miguel Lloveras in 1920,which he also transcribed for orchestra.De Falla managed to simulate the sonori-ties of the guitar and castanets by not onlyusing the piano but that the whole instru-mental range of the orchestra, and thispiece is a classic of concert hall repertoires

From TANGO SUITETango No 1 Allegro Libero

Tango No 3 AllegroASTOR PIAZZOLLA

(1921-1992)In 1980 Piazzolla attended a concertgiven by Argentine guitarist RobertoAussel, and was so impressed that hewrote Five Pieces for guitar and laterTango Suite, in three movements. Theseare the only two works for the instru-ment. Taango Suite was written for twoguitars, dedicated to the duo formed bySergio and Odair Assad who played itfor the first time in the presence of thecomposer in Liege in l985. This pieceembraced all of Piazzolla's music influ-enced by Bartok rhythms such as, fugesketches, polytonality, atonality, rhythmsalternating between 4/4 (3+3+2) and6/8 glissando, also extreme contrastsbetween harsh violence and melancholia(as per Bethoven) and traces of Stravin-sky.

In any case, the eighties were a prolifictime for Piazzolla as composer and per-

The South Bank Centre is a registered charity. In accordance with the entertainment licensing authority, the London Borough of Lambeth: persons shall not be permitted to stand or sit in any of the gangways intersecting the seating or to sit in any ofthe other gangways. No smoking in the auditorium. The taking of photographs is strictly prohibited. Members of the public are reminded that no tape recorder or other type of recording apparatus may be brought into the auditorium.

It is illegal to record any performance, or part thereof, unless prior arrangements have been made with SBC management and the concert promoter concerned. If you do not need to use your hearing aid during the concert, please make sure it isswitched off. Are you wearing a digital watch? Make sure the alarm is off. Would patrons with mobile telephones ensure that they are switched off before the performance commences.

former; by this time he had written theConcierto de Nácar para 9 Tanguistas yOrquesta (inspired in the massacre ofTrelew) also with three movements. Thiswork together with Adiós Nonino werethe finest pieces written by Piazzolla. It isinteresting to know that the last rehears-al of the Quintet was in Buenos Aires inApril 1988 and their last LP was record-ed in New York (La Camorra, May1988). But the most memorable concerthas to be the one given on 11 June 1983at the Colón Theatre in Buenos Aires,this time with the Filarmónica where heplayed the Concierto para Bandoneón yOrquesta. That night the theatre doorsopened wide for Piazzolla's music. TheColón has an especial magnetism forArgentine musicians; to perform there islike a golden dream come true, and hecould not escape from having the samedream. In his own words… “for a while Ifelt like that Piazolla who studied withAlberto Ginastera and the one who wentwith Roberto Di Filippo to the rehear-sals of the national Symphony Orchestraon Saturday's afternoon”… In TangoSuite Piazzolla displayed a great flair forthe guitar in the way in which he man-aged to explore the possibilities of theinstrument to the utmost.

INTERVAL

WHOOPS(UK Première)ESTER MÄGI

(b.1922)There is no doubt that the Baltic Sovietrepublics have been submitted to enor-mous changes since the 1980’s, wheremost of the liberated countries took intotheir own hands the development to-wards complete independence, helpedby the work of intellectuals and politi-cians who were in charge of consolidat-ing the process of changes. During 50years of Soviet occupation Estonian artsand music existed but were isolated fromthe rest of Europe. From 1990 to 1999

Estonian composers wrote a total of ninesymphonies and more than thirty oneconcertos. The progress of Estonianmusic became evident when we lookedat the fairly successful performance ofEstonian composers at the InternationalRostrum of Composers in Paris.

Ester Mägi is considered as the firstlady of Estonian music, she combines afeminine touch with a strong sense ofform as a composer. Most of her workis written for chamber and choirorchestra. Her music is incorporated inthe standard repertoire of importantconductors working regularly as a com-poser as well as performing in Scandi-navia, Germany, Australia and Russiaand, has recorded a number of CD’s forexample A Tre, for viola and guitar,Cantus, for cello and guitar Processus,for violin, and guitar and Whoops, forsoprano (violin), flute and guitar. Thispiece was written in 1988.

DRAMAERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR

(b.1959)Tüür was under the supervision of JaanRääts and Lepo Sumera, and is one of themost popular Estonian composers writingmusic for international performers andconcert organisations either for electronic,orchestral or chamber instruments. Buthis forte is writing instrumental music.Even in his youthful days when he wasmember of In Spe rock band, he was writ-ing vocal music (being himself the vocalistof the group). Among his later vocal com-positions is the Requiem (1994) written inmemory of Estonian conductor PeeterLilje. This piece was the winner at theUNESCO’s International Rostrum ofComposers Competition held in Paris,and is widely performed in TV and radioall over the world. It is dificult to classifyTüür’s works because his style is changingcontinuously. His musical language is fullof contrasts as well as rich sounds and isintellectually deep. He has collaboratedwith world-famous interpreters such as,

David Geringas, violoncellist, in hisConcerto for violoncello, premiered inLausanne (1997). Also with the HilliardEnsemble in Exitatio ad Contemplandum(1996). With Peter Saldo, Motus I, pre-miered in Munich (1998) and with theCabasa Quartet in Motus II, (for quartetpercussionist). More recently he wroteThe Lighthouse, for orchestra which wascommissioned by the Ausbach BachFestival in 1997. Drama is a piece for flute,violin and guitar written in 1994. Amonghis CD’s we can mention Tüür DesertIsland, Cantus and Drama, the latterrecorded in 2001.

SPRING IMAGINATIONS Op 66RAIMO KANGRO

(1949-2001)Raimo Kangro first studied piano withEne Arro at the Tartu Music School andlater graduated from the Tallinn Conser-vatory as a composer in 1973, he also stud-ied with Jaan Rääts and Eino Tambergand worked at the Estonian ComposersUnion since 1933, and at the EstonianMusic Foundation as its Director. At thesame time Kangro taught composition atthe Estonian Academy of Music. Hebecame internationally known in the1970’s for his ability to combine neo-clas-sicism elements with rock. His musicincorporates the forces of a temperamen-tal and impulsive character together withstrong rhythm patterns. We can mentionthe recording of several CD’s such as,Sechs Stucke fur Gitarre Op 37a 10’00,Variatio delectat fur Gitarre und Klavier,Suite fur Gitarre und Klavier Op 37,Idioomid Op 43a fur Flote, Violine undGitarre, and tonight's piece entitledKevadnagemused (Spring Imaginations) Op66 for violin, guitar and vibraphone.

Information for the second part of theprogramme notes were provided

by Heiki Matlik

© J. Sylvester, LACCS, 2004

ESTER MÄGI(b.1922)

ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR(b.1959)

RAIMO KANGRO(1949-2001)

Programme Notes