Estonian National Male Choir

The Estonian National Male Choir (RAM)is currently the only full-time professional male choir in the world. The choir was established in 1944 by Estonian choral legend Gustav Ernesaks. The choir devoted its first years to a cappella repertoire but is now also famous for its interpretations of important large-scale works frequently performed with the worldÕs leading orchestras and conductors. RAM has 25 oratorial works in its current repertoire and most of its tours abroad are large cultural projects where these pieces are performed. Over the times, RAM has sung with many prominent guest conductors, such as Robert Sund from Sweden, Josep Prats from Spain, Chifuru Matsubara from Japan, Roman Toi from Canada, Kaspars Putninä from Latvia, Kuno Areng, Jaan-Eik Tulve and others from Estonia. This line-up of rewarding collaborations can be extended by naming the orchestral conductors the choir has worked with: Neeme JŠrvi, Paavo JŠrvi, Kristjan JŠrvi, Eri Klas, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, Ricardo Muti, Paavo Berglund, Leif Segerstam, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Saulius Sondeckis, Leo KrŠmer, Christoph Sperling, Gintaras Rinkevicius, Arvo Volmer, T›nu Kaljuste and many others.

The large works RAM has sung most often are Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13 "Babi Jar" (with the Detroit, Tampere and Jerusalem symphony orchestras and the LA Philharmonic), Sibelius' Kullervo-Symphony (the Stockholm Royal SO, Minnesota SO, Tampere SO, Toulouse National SO, Hamburg City Orchestra and the LA Philharmonic), Cherubini's Requiem and Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex. The Estonian National Male Choir gives about 80-90 concerts each year, approx. 25 of which are symphonic works while the rest are a cappella programs. The repertoire of one season includes about 200 works. RAM's present chief conductor and artistic director Ants Soots was awarded in 1999 the Gustav Ernesaks annual choral music prize. During the years 1996-2000 Ants Soots led the Estonian Choral Society. Currently he also teaches at the Estonian Music Academy. With RAM he has conducted programs of Italian, British and Latin American music, as well as the Armenian liturgy "Patarag" and Georgian music, music of G. Petrassi, of course, lots of Estonian music for different occasions. Paavo J?rvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Ellerhein Girls' Choir and Ants Soots, Estonian National Male Choir's CD "Sibelius Cantatas" (Virgin Classics, 2003) won the Grammy 2004 award in category "Best Choral Performance".

Discography

Silva Caledonia - Gavin Bryars / Toivo Tulev

Following his highly successful recordings with the Latvian Radio Choir, Gavin Bryars moves on to a recording with the Estonian National Male Choir, the largest professional men's choir in the world. "... The music of Gavin Bryars falls under no category. It is mongrel, full of sensuality and wit and is deeply moving. He is one of the few composers who can put slapstick and primal emotion alongside each other. He allows you to witness new wonders in the sounds around you by approaching them from a completely new angle. With a third ear maybe. . ." –Michael Ondaatje

Visions of Kalevala

The CD series of Veljo Tormis's "Visions" was started by Ants Soots and the Estonian National Male Choir in 2001 with the selection "Vision of Estonia", the title of the CD came from one song composed of the excerpts of Juha Liiv's poetry. Juhan Liiv was an important Estonian poet of the Early 20th Century and those poems, like other songs in this selection, reflected on the situation of Estonian people. The present fifth selection in this series contains Tormis's visions of the Finnish National epic Kalevala. The significance of Kalevala for Tormis is much more than just a literary masterpiece of the neighboring Finnish culture, that is something like the ancient scripture of all the Baltic-Finnish peoples once inhabiting the coasts of the Finnish gulf.

Visions Beyond Estonia

Three selections of Veljo Tormis music recorded my Ants Soots and Estonian National Male Choir have been published under the title "Vision of Estonia", the present fourth selection consists of compositions based on the old songs of other peoples, hence the title "Visions Beyond Estonia". Though Tormis has always stressed that he's is a national composer, and the previous "Visions" have clearly introduced him as an Estonian composer, his combative position for Estonian cultural heritage is actually quite open and sympathetic with the defense of nature, traditional cultures and endangered peoples in general.

Visions Of Estonia 3

The third collection under the title "Vision of Estonia" continues recording the work of Estonian composer Veljo Tormis by the veteran Estonian National Male Choir. All song titles and lyrics of the piece are in Estonian. These lyrics, their meanings, and the history of the composer, the choir, and this dramatic, powerful piece are included in the extensive liner notes. The deeply emotional composition, written under the thumb of the Soviet occupation of Estonia, is divided into 32 movements--from the eight parts of "Dialektilisi aforisme," all less than a minute in length, and the 9-minute "Muistse mere laulud" to the intense 2 -minute "Sottaminck." "Vision III" a difficult, eclectic work that explodes into non-vocal percussion and vocal outbursts of protest and pride. Luckily, it is being sung by one of the best all-male choirs in the world, who perform it with tremendous spirit and feeling. Some accompaniment.

Visions Of Estonia 2

Estonian composer Veljo Tormis (1930-) emphasizes the role of verbal text and its message in his compositions, directed at the present, past and future of Estonian life. Written for men's chorus, "Visions of Estonia II" records in music the anxiety that was suppressed through the decades of Soviet repression. With "The Ballad of Mary's Land," composed in 1969, Tormis began a series of powerful large-scale choral compositions containing also his most famous work, "The Curse Upon Iron" for mixed chorus, written in 1972. "Reflections with Hando Runnel" (1981), is one of a series of short, sarcastic songs of protest he wrote during that period. "Days of Outlawry," with the subject of resistance fighting, was written for the banned film "The Outlaws;" "Journey of the War Messenger" and "Let The Sun Shine" take their texts from the Estonian National epic "Kalevipoeg." "Forget-me-not" is a national lament dedicated to former chief conductor Gustav Ernesada. Although none of these 23 songs is in English, we can feel the power and Tormis' deep feeling within this music through the performance of the Estonian National Male Choir.

Visions Of Estonia 1

Veljo Tormis is best known for his preservation of folk songs and folklore in his music. On Vision of Estonia, his concern for the oppression of the Estonian people is mixed with this aspect. These pieces for male choir are fantastic. The title piece "Vision of Estonia" was written during the fall of the Soviet Union and finished when Estonian independence was declared. Tormis is also known for his orchestral choral sounds. In "Incantation for the Sea" and "Litany to Thunder" he translates the dramatic images depicted in the poetry into massive choral sounds. "Incantation for the Sea" comes from the epic poem Kalevala. Due to international interest in his music, Tormis uses a Latin translation to make his piece widely accessible to non-Estonian speaking choirs. The Estonian National Male Choir, led by Ants Soots, is dynamic in this music which honors their country.

7171 CD $15.98

Esther Magii - Tree of Song

From her emergence in the 1950s onwards, Ester Mägi, born in Tallinn in 1922, has quietly built up a body of works that can be seen as among the most directly representative of Estonian national music. Relying on traditions, Ester Mägi’s idiom has gone through a modernisation process during half a century, yet retaining intrinsic modesty. The persistent features of her work are fine sense of form, transparent texture and subtle or objective mode of expression. Mostly her works are based on brief thematic cores borrowed from or characteristic to Estonian folk melodies. Variational forms or variational treatment of musical material is predominant in her work. Winning her first state prize in 1980 she has firmly established her position among the leading lights of contemporary Estonian music..

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