Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra & Tonu Kaljuste
Release Date: 15 September 2023
Label: ECM New Series
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 028948588916
Description
The elemental power of ancient folk music is the lifeforce that drives the compositions of Veljo Tormis (1930-2017). As the great Estonian composer famously said, "I do not use folk song. It is folk song that uses me." This sentiment is echoed in definitive performances by the Estonian Philharmonic Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Tonu Kaljuste, for decades one of Tormis's closest musical associates. Four orchestral cycles celebrate the changing seasons: Autumn Landscapes, Winter Patterns, Spring Sketches, Summer Motifs. And three pieces - Worry Breaks The Spirit, Hamlet's Songs and Herding Calls - feature new arrangements by Tonu Kaljuste, continuing and commemorating Tormis's work. The album opens with The Tower Bell In My Village which Kaljuste commissioned 45 years ago. It sets words by Fernando Pessoa that seem entirely pertinent in the context of this tribute. "Oh death, it's a bend in the road/You can't be seen when you've passed by/But still your steps continue..." Reminiscentiae was recorded at Tallinn's Methodist Church in October and November 2020.
"as Tormis himself said: "I do not use folk song. It is folk song that uses me." And here it uses him to stunning effect." - The Arts Desk
Tracklisting
Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica & Vida Mikneviciute
Arvo Part
Thomas Larcher
John Holloway Ensemble
Heinz Holliger & Anton Kernjak
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra & Tonu Kaljuste
Karlheinz Stockhausen Michaels Reise
Andras Schiff
Hans-Christoph Rademann, NDR Chor Hamburg
Chorwerk Ruhr, Florian Helgath
BachWerkVokal, Gordon Safari
Dionysos Now!
Soloists; Les Traversees Baroques; Meyer
The Gesualdo Six / Owain Park
La Compagnia del Madrigale
Cappella Pratensis, Stratton Bull, Sollazzo Ensemble
