Arvo Pärt
Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten
Jean Sibelius
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43
This December, ERSO prepares to embark on a concert tour of Southern Europe to mark the Orchestra’s 99th birthday. Before the tour, a celebratory concert will take place in Tallinn, opening with Arvo Pärt’s timeless Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten. The spotlight of the evening will be on the music of Jean Sibelius. Renowned Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma will perform the composer’s Violin Concerto—a cornerstone of the violin repertoire known for its emotional depth and technical brilliance. The program concludes with Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2, composed in the Italian town of Rapallo. The influence of southern Italian light and landscape is unmistakably woven into the fabric of this majestic symphonic work.
SIMONE LAMSMA violin
ERSO
conductor OLARI ELTS
Engelbert Humperdinck
Shakespeare Suites No. 1 and No. 2
Joseph Haydn
Piano Concerto in D major, Hob.XVIII:11
Joseph Haydn
Piano Concerto in D major, Hob.XVIII:2
Pyotr Tchaikovsky / Arkadi Leytush
Memories from Haapsalu
Bringing a bright note to dark November days, conductor Neeme Järvi presents a programme of radiant autumn classics. The programme includes Joseph Haydn’s piano concertos, performed by pianist Jaan Ots.
JAAN OTS piano
ERSO
conductor NEEME JÄRVI
Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 1 in D major
In November, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, led by its founder and principal conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, will join ERSO for a special performance at the Estonia Concert Hall. The program will feature Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, a work whose origins trace back to the city of Kassel, where Mahler composed his first vocal cycle, Songs of a Wayfarer. The emotional landscape of that cycle flows seamlessly into his First Symphony, a connection the composer himself often acknowledged. Mahler’s symphony will be paired with Johannes Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by celebrated Lithuanian pianist Lukas Geniušas.
LUKAS GENIUŠAS piano
Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
conductor GINTARAS RINKEVIČIUS
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart(?)
Musikalische Würfelspiele, K.Anh.C.30.01
Lejaren Hiller
Illiac Suite
First Experiment
Third Experiment
Nina Shekhar
Honk If You Love Me
Discussion with AI-expert Taivo Lints.
Øyvind Torvund
Willibald Motor Landscape
In November, ERSO chamber ensembles return to Fotografiska, a venue that has become a firm favourite with audiences, for an exploration of music and artificial intelligence. Themed around questions like “Does AI appreciate art?” and “Is our future virtual, augmented—or simply real?”, the programme will feature music inspired by, derived from, or created in dialogue with AI. The selection is curated by ERSO clarinettist Taavi Orro. At the end of the evening, the audience will be invited to reflect on whether artificial intelligence can truly rival human creativity.
Egert Leinsaar (violin)
Marta Mutso (violin)
Jūlija Širokova (viola)
Theodor Sink (cello)
Taavi Orro (clarinet)
Kadri-Ann Sumera (piano)
Vambola Krigul (percussion)
Mart Soo (guitar)
Jean Sibelius
Tone poem The Wood Nymph, Op. 15
Jean Sibelius
Kullervo Symphony, Op. 7
The opening concert of ERSO’s new series Myths and Legends invites audiences into the powerful story of Kullervo, the tragic hero from Finnish folklore. This dramatic tale, brought to life through the music of Jean Sibelius, will be performed by the Estonian National Male Choir and soloists Andrew Foster-Williams and Tuuri Dede, under the baton of conductor Matthew Halls. The program also includes Sibelius’ orchestral ballad The Wood Nymph, based on Viktor Rydberg’s poem about a young man enticed by a mysterious forest spirit.
TUURI DEDE mezzo-soprano
ANDREW FOSTER-WILLIAMS baritone
Estonian National Male Choir
ERSO
Conductor MATTHEW HALLS
Evelin Seppar
New work
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44
ERSO will perform Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3, conducted by Olari Elts. The program also features a new orchestral work by Evelin Seppar, which will open the concert.
ERSO
Dirigent Olari Elts
Tubin “Suite on Estonian Motifs” ETW 13
Tamberg. Trumpet Concerto No. 1 Op. 42
Tubin. Symphony No. 2 (Legendary)
Eduard Tubin’s first major orchestral work is akin to a “medal warning” in sports. Utilizing composition techniques developed in his songs and piano music, the 25-year-old Tubin ventures into his beloved domain—orchestral music—and achieves a remarkable, p result on his first attempt. Over the following years, Tubin fulfills his “medal expectations”, with his Symphony No. 2 serving as the best evidence of his success.
Eino Tamberg’s Trumpet Concerto features the talented American jazz trumpeter Charlie Porter as soloist. The concerto stands out as one of the most brilliant instrumental concertos in Estonian music. Both Tubin and Tamberg also faced similar choices in their careers, with Tamberg also having tickets to “Triina”…
In collaboration with Eesti Kontserdiga
CHARLIE PORTER trumpet
ERSO
Conductor MIHHAIL GERTS
Hector Berlioz
Overture to the opera Benvenuto Cellini
Édouard Lalo
Cello Concerto in D minor
Ernest Chausson
Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 20
MARCEL JOHANNES KITS cello
ERSO
Conductor YAN PASCAL TORTELIER
This September, ERSO welcomes back conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier, whose program of French music received wide acclaim in March 2025. Once again, Tortelier will explore the rich world of 19th-century French composers, beginning with the overture to Benvenuto Cellini by Hector Berlioz, a pioneer of modern orchestration. Marcel Johannes Kits will perform a rare gem of the cello repertoire: the concerto by Édouard Lalo. The evening will conclude with one of the best-known works by the short-lived composer Ernest Chausson—his Symphony in B-flat major.
Emmy Schäfer Klein
Child’s Dream, Op. 8 No. 1
Johann Sebastian Bach / Alexander Siloti
Prelude, BWV 855a
Missy Mazzoli
A Map of Laughter
James Lee III
Humble Birth
Amy Beach
Harlequin, Op. 26 No. 6
Leokadiya Kashperova
Song without Words No.5
Florence Price
The Goblin and the Mosquito
Clara Schumann
Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22
Nadia Boulanger
Trois Pièces for cello and piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Rondo in D major, K. 382
ALEXANDRA DARIESCU piano
KRISTEL KIIK violin
INDREK LEIVATEGIJA cello
VILLU VIHERMÄE cello
MAAREN VIHERMÄE violin
MAIRIT-MITT BRONIKOWSKA viola
September’s chamber concert will be headlined by acclaimed Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu, who will also appear as soloist in the Orchestra’s season-opening concert the previous evening. The programme presents a diverse selection of solo and chamber music, ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach and Clara Schumann to James Lee III and Missy Mazzoli. Audiences will also have the rare opportunity to hear works by lesser-known composers such as Emmy Schäfer Klein and Leokadiya Kashperova. The ERSO Chamber Ensemble will be joined by a chamber arrangement of Wolfgang Amadus Mozart’s well-known Rondo in D major for piano and orchestra. Additional featured composers include Amy Beach, Florence Price, and Nadia Boulanger.
Arvo Pärt
Tabula rasa. Silentium
Arvo Pärt
Greater Antiphones (selected movements)
John Cage
In a Landscape
John Cage
Amores
Aphex Twin
#3 (SAW vol. II)
Aphex Twin
Ruglen Holon (Drukqs)
Aphex Twin
Nannou (Windowlicker)
Aphex Twin
QHThr (Drukqs)
Aphex Twin
Nanou 2 (Drukqs)
At the end of August, the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt—celebrating his 90th birthday—will meet the electronic soundscapes of Aphex Twin in the big hangar of the Põhjala Factory. Aphex Twin, a global icon in electronic music, has openly cited Pärt as an influence, and critics have often drawn intriguing parallels between their works. The Põhjala Angaar, one of Estonia’s most distinctive venues, offers over 1,100 square metres of space beneath soaring twin vaults—an ideal setting to experience the resonance of Pärt’s tintinnabuli style alongside Aphex Twin’s instrumental arrangements. The concert programme is curated by Vambola Krigul.
Egert Leinsaar, Annelize Vlasenko, Nina Kawaguchi, Mari-Katrina Suss, Miina Laanesaar, Triin Krigul, Helena Altmanis, Kristiina Välja, Andres Alexander Metspalu, Villu Vihermäe, Mati Lukk, Madis Jürgens, Liis Jürgens, Vambola Krigul, Adam Jeffrey, Lauri Metsvahi, Kärt Ruubel, DJ Glitch Korts
Thomas Adès
America: A Prophecy, Op. 19
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Choral symphony The Bells, Op. 35
Arvo Pärt
Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Lepo Sumera
Symphony No. 2
Similarly to the first ERSO concert of the season, which used the sound of bells as its recurring theme, the final concert of the season will take place in the same spirit, concluding the ‘Romance’ series. Conducted by Olari Elts, the concert begins with the apocalyptic work by British composer Thomas Adès – America: A Prophecy for a soprano and an orchestra. The concert continues on a prophetic note with the choral symphony The Bells by Sergei Rachmaninoff, performed with the State Choir LATVIJA. The symphony uses poetry by Edgar Allen Poe and the melancholy nature of the piece has been seen as a prediction of the dark future of Russia.
The theme of the sound of bells continues in Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten. The composition has been described as a musical meditation on death. Estonian music is also represented by Lepo Sumera’s Symphony No. 2, dedicated to the former chief conductor of ERSO, Peeter Lilje.
EMMA BELL soprano
ELENA BRAZHNYK soprano
MATI TURI tenor
EGILS SILIŅŠ baritone
State Choir LATVIJA
ERSO
Conductor OLARI ELTS
The series is sponsored by Epiim
Joachim Raff
Cavatina, Op. 85 ~5′
Richard Strauss
Mondscheinmusik ~4′
Richard Strauss
Sechs Lieder, Op. 68 ~24′
Richard Strauss
Morgen, Op. 27 No.4 ~4′
Richard Strauss
Wiegenlied, Op. 41 No. 1 ~5′
Richard Strauss
Freundliche Vision, Op. 48 No. 1 ~3′
Joachim Raff
Symphony No. 11 in A minor, Op. 214, Winter ~35′
The ‘Maestro’ series will end in May, when Honorary Artistic Director for Life Neeme Järvi will guide ERSO through the final performance. The playlist includes Joachim Raff’s Cavatina and Symphony No. 11. The Swiss composer, pianist, and teacher Joachim Raff was one of the most famous German musicians of his time. After his death, his works were largely forgotten. However, the twenty-first century has witnessed a revival of interest in Raff’s Romantic musical style, confirmed by new releases of recordings of his chamber and orchestra music.
The soloist of the concert, soprano Elina Nechayeva, has collaborated with Järvi on numerous occasions over a long period. Their previous performance together – Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 – took place in September 2023. Nechayeva will perform Richard Strauss’ cycle Sechs Lieder (Six Songs) set to the poems by Clemens Brentano. Strauss wrote nearly 220 songs over the course of his life, which are still popular on stages today. This cycle is particularly suitable for a coloratura soprano whose voice can convey dramatic nuances.
ELINA NECHAYEVA soprano
ERSO
Conductor NEEME JÄRVI
The series is sponsored by Liviko
Louise Farrenc
Overture No. 1 in E minor, Op. 23
Joseph Haydn
Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb/1
Edward Elgar
Enigma Variations, Op. 36
The ‘Cello Concerto’ series concludes with Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey. He is equally adept at performing Baroque as well as contemporary cello music. His competent stylistic know-how, original and deep musical thinking, and phenomenal technique allow him to perform remarkable interpretations ranging from Bach to Britten. Wispelwey uses a contemporary instrument as well as a Baroque cello. With ERSO, he will perform Cello Concerto No. 1 by Joseph Haydn.
The orchestra is conducted by José Luis Gomez, the chief conductor of Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Gomez’s career took off in 2010 at the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition, after which he worked as Paavo Järvi’s assistant at the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. He is going to conduct ERSO as it performs Overture No. 1 by Louise Farrenc for the first time. The evening also includes Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, which was the first large-scale purely symphonic work of the composer, where he demonstrated his unique and novel approach to the genre with age-old traditions.
PIETER WISPELWEY cello
ERSO
Conductor JOSÉ LUIS GOMEZ
Artur Lemba – Symphony No. 1 in C-sharp minor (dedicated to Alexander Glazunov, 1908)
I Andante – Allegro vivace
II Andante
III Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio: meno mosso e tranquillo
IV Finale. Moderato assai – Allegro risoluto’
Rasmus Puur – Where You Once Came From, That’s Where You’ll Go (2025, premiere)
– intermission –
Mari Vihmand – …the golden sun as seal (thinking on Eino Tamberg, 2025, premiere)
Timo Steiner – Coffee with Rääts (2025, premiere)
Märt-Matis Lill – Epilogue (2025, premiere)
Lepo Sumera / Märt-Matis Lill – Lizard, an excerpt from the ballet (1987)
Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes – Light Enters Through the Crack (dedicated to Helena Tulve, 2025, premiere)
Eino Tamberg – Opening Fanfares Op. 112
Every year, one of the highlights of the Estonian Music Days is a concert performed by ERSO. In 2025, the centenary of the Estonian Composers Union is celebrated at the Estonian Music Days. To commemorate this important anniversary, five new orchestral pieces have been commissioned by the festival team, inspired by the musical example of an Estonian composer or informed by their works. It can take a very clear and recognisable or a more implicit form in the composition. Märt-Matis Lill, Timo Steiner, Mari Vihmand, Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes, and Rasmus Puur will be creating these new orchestral pieces for ERSO. The playlist also includes a selection of the best Estonian compositions for orchestras. Traditionally, LHV presents their new composition award to a composer at the concert, whose piece (that premiered during the previous year) has been unanimously recognised by the committee as a composition with a high artistic value and deserving of international renown.
ERSO
Conductor MICHAEL WENDEBERG
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Rondo in D major, K. 485
Franz Schubert
Piano Quintet in A major, D.667 (Trout Quintet)
The series ‘Chamber Music’ will conclude with Ukrainian-born pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, a highly acclaimed virtuoso who is a resident artist for the 2023/24 season at the prestigious chamber music venue Wigmore Hall in London. His performance is both poetic and electrifying. Together with his band partner, violinist Janine Jansen, he performs regularly all over Europe.
ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUK piano, TRIIN RUUBEL violin, RAIN VILU viola, SEULKI LEE cello, MATI LUKK double bass
The series is sponsored by Nordic Catering
Felix Mendelssohn
Overture Ruy Blas, Op. 95
Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Robert Schumann
Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
In April, conductor Giordano Bellincampi, whose return is always eagerly awaited by the orchestra as well as the audience, will direct ERSO. The concert playlist includes the overture Ruy Blas by Felix Mendelssohn for the play of the same name by Victor Hugo. This is the largest orchestral overture by Mendelssohn in terms of the orchestration, despite the fact that the composer admittedly completed the piece in only three days. The second half of the concert is dedicated to Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. Schumann is the best example of a composer of the Romantic period – his manner of creative expression is lyrical with an emphasis on the self and he often used non-musical, primarily literary, references in his work.
Ukrainian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, who resides in Australia, will perform Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto. On one hand, this composition reflects the colours of the nature of Norway, Grieg’s home country, and on the other hand, the example set by Robert Schumann and other German masters. Gavrylyuk is a highly valued virtuoso, who is the residing artist of London Wigmore Hall in the 2023/24 season.
ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUK piano
ERSO
Conductor GIORDANO BELLINCAMPI
The series is sponsored by Radisson Collection Hotel, Tallinn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546
Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201/186a
In April, Polish violinist Maria Włoszczowska will perform with ERSO. Her versatility as a musician includes performances as a soloist, a concertmaster, and a chamber musician. The programme includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto – the first monumental work in this genre, which paved the way for subsequent Romantic violin concertos. When composing the piece, he copied the style of the representatives of the French Violin School and relied on virtuosic techniques as well as the rhythmic patterns of marches, which were popular in French music during the revolution.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is represented with his Symphony No. 29. This piece, created when the composer was only 18, is one of the most remarkable among his early works, attesting to his compositional mastery. In addition to the symphony, the programme includes one of the later works of Mozart – Adagio and Fugue in C minor – which was inspired by the counterpoint technique of Johann Sebastian Bach, clearly reflected in the name of the piece.
MARIA WŁOSZCZOWSKA violin
ERSO
The series is sponsored by Epiim
Georges Bizet
L’Arlésienne, incidental music for the drama with the same name
Camille Saint-Saëns
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22
Claude Debussy
Symphonic triptych Nocturnes
Paul Dukas
Symphonic poem The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
In March, conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier brings French music to the Estonia Concert Hall. Tortelier is a highly anticipated guest at the most prestigious orchestras of the world. He is a conductor emeritus of the BBC Philharmonic and his last appointment was as the principal conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The concert features incidental music written by Georges Bizet for Alphonse Daudet’s drama L’Arlésienne. The symphonic triptych Nocturnes by Claude Debussy paints images of France at dusk. The Ellerhein Girls’ Choir will sing in the third part of the composition. The concert ends with the symphonic poem The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas, based on a poem of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Swiss pianist and soloist Louis Schwizgebel will perform one of the most popular piano concertos of the nineteenth century – Piano Concerto No. 2 by Camille Saint-Saëns. Schwizgebel is an internationally recognised artist, first prize winner of the Geneva International Music Competition, and second prize winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition.
LOUIS SCHWIZGEBEL piano
Ellerhein Girls' Choir
ERSO
Conductor YAN PASCAL TORTELIER
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