Thousands of voices unite in song at traditional choir festival celebrating Estonia's culture
The Song Festival Grounds, a massive outdoor venue in the Estonian capital, Tallinn , was packed on Saturday evening despite the downpour. The traditional Song and Dance Celebration, that decades ago inspired resistance to Soviet control and was later recognized by the U.N.'s cultural agency, attracted tens of thousands of performers and spectators alike, many in national costume.
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New York Times
7 hours ago
- New York Times
The Record Label That Reset My Expectations for Classical Music
The signal kept cutting out on Manfred Eicher's car radio that night. Eicher, the founder and guiding spirit of ECM Records, was driving from Stuttgart to Zurich in the early 1980s when he happened on the broadcast of a composition he'd never heard. The reception was sketchy, but what he was able to hear seized his attention: music that spoke directly and openly, with something about it that dissolved familiar notions of what was old and what was new. This music 'struck me like a meteorite from the sky,' Eicher later said. It was a Saul-on-the-road-to-Zurich moment, if you will. After more than a year, he finally identified the piece: 'Tabula Rasa,' a concerto for two violins, prepared piano and strings by an Estonian composer named Arvo Pärt. Today, Pärt's signature style, called tintinnabuli, is synonymous with 'holy minimalism.' It has proved, by classical music standards, enormously popular. But when Eicher happened upon that broadcast, Pärt was virtually unknown outside the Soviet Union. Eicher was determined to release a recording of 'Tabula Rasa.' But ECM, founded in 1969, was a jazz label — or, at least, one dedicated principally to improvised music. So he decided to create a new label, which he called ECM New Series. Pärt's piece became the title work of its first release, in 1984. It included two versions of the enigmatic 'Fratres' and a memorial for Benjamin Britten. It remains the single best introduction to Pärt's musical universe. The label's 40th anniversary was recently celebrated with the publication of 'ECM New Series: A Compendium,' a sleekly elegant book detailing its complete catalog of more than 450 releases. Both the anniversary and the book offer an occasion to assess the label's four-decade body of work. But that turns out to be no easy task. ECM New Series has inarguably carved out a distinct place in the classical music ecosystem, and its austere visual aesthetic and spacious, pristine sound are recognizable calling cards. Beyond that, though, finding the guiding thread of the label, its distinct essence, becomes remarkably difficult. Pärt became a mainstay; his 18th album with it will be released on Sept. 5. But Eicher's decisions also thwarted expectations. Less than a year after 'Tabula Rasa' came out, in fact, the label released an album of the actor Bruno Ganz reciting poetry by the German Romantic Friedrich Hölderlin. There would follow, before the end of the 1980s, experimental works by the American composer and vocalist Meredith Monk; the Hilliard Ensemble singing Thomas Tallis's 'Lamentations of Jeremiah'; a sonic exploration of the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France by the violinist Paul Giger; and the pianist Keith Jarrett, perhaps the most acclaimed artist on ECM's main label, playing Bach on the harpsichord. Since the beginning of the 21st century, ECM New Series has increasingly explored the main currents of the classical repertoire. Andras Schiff has recorded the complete Beethoven piano sonatas in impeccably lucid performances; the Danish String Quartet, which has a claim on being the best group of its kind in the world, has intermixed Bach, early 20th-century repertoire and Beethoven's late quartets, to thrilling effect; and the pianist Robert Levin recorded all of Mozart's sonatas on the composer's own fortepiano. Of course, there is nothing unusual about a label exploring a wide range of music. But ECM New Series has never fit the mold of a major label, with a goal of synoptically covering every corner of the repertoire. In fact, its lacunae are as notable as its inclusions. Eicher has recorded hours and hours of Bach, including no fewer than four recordings of the first book of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and three versions each of the composer's solo cello suites and sonatas and partitas for violin. But the New Series has never released a Beethoven or Brahms symphony. There are two pieces by Tchaikovsky and one Mahler movement, but 12 releases with music by Gyorgy Kurtag. One of those, featuring Kurtag and his wife, Marta, playing his own works and those of Bach, is one of my favorite albums of classical music, period. Eicher is not a man given to explaining himself or his artistic direction in much detail. He was not available for an interview, but he did answer some questions by email. His responses had a reserved elegance, not unlike the label's aesthetic. Asked about his vision for ECM New Series, he wrote: 'I envisioned from the very beginning something like a journey, one with a set route, but also open to serendipity. Not necessarily following the most direct or shortest path, but allowing for productive detours.' What about the artists he chooses to work with? Eicher said only that 'everything has evolved and unfolded organically over the years,' and added, 'I believe what was crucial, was the natural growth of relationships — this weaving of performers and composers — and the time we allowed it to develop.' Perhaps that last answer contains the kernel of the label's remarkable ability to build a recognizable identity — a brand, perhaps. That lies in the long-term artistic evolution of the performers and composers that fill the 'Compendium' (listed in no particular order, which seems a very ECM way of doing it). Many of the musicians who first recorded with Eicher still do so today. Monk's collected recordings on the label fill a 13-disc set released in 2022. Other principals include Jarrett and the iconoclastic Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer, who played together on 'Tabula Rasa.' Kremer's latest, from last year, is an exploration of his Baltic heritage. From Jarrett, who suffered a pair of strokes in 2018 and has not performed publicly since, there was recently an irresistible collection of C.P.E. Bach sonatas. If I had to pick a musician who exemplifies the ECM New Series gestalt, it would be the violist Kim Kashkashian, whose introspective playing seems to hide as much as it reveals. This elusive quality runs through all two dozen or so of her recordings, especially those made with Levin, her longtime recital partner. But it shines most darkly in 'Elegies,' the duo's first offering on the label. In a series of lamenting works by composers as varied as Liszt and Elliott Carter, they create a landscape of astonishing desolation — a perfect match for the Eduard Micus painting on the cover. Eicher's genius seems to lie not only in offering his artists a space to follow their passions, but also in opening them to new creative possibilities. In one instance, that meant bringing together the tenor John Potter, the jazz saxophonist John Surman and the bassist Barry Guy in a program of Dowland songs in order, Eicher wrote, to 'lift the music beyond standard early music conventions.' After the Hilliard Ensemble had made half a dozen recordings, of medieval works by Perotin and modern ones by Pärt, Eicher had the idea of bringing them together with the Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, a pillar of the main ECM label. Garbarek improvised delicately around the ensemble's performances of medieval and Renaissance liturgical works. The result, 'Officium,' was an unlikely hit, probably the biggest success the label has ever had. Asked about the popularity of certain albums, Eicher responded that, although the ECM New Series catalog is full of releases with unexpected success, 'to think of music in economic terms is, from the outset, to miss the point.' 'It is a search for something yet unknown, a fleeting, truthful moment, if you will,' he added. 'The New Series, and ECM in total, is a cultural project, firstly, addressed to listeners who care about music.' That, I think, is Eicher's true achievement. By following stubbornly his own muse and those of a relative handful of especially creative musicians, he reset the horizon of expectations for a record label. The musicians — performers and composers alike — in the 'Compendium' seem like prototypical ECM New Series artists, even though that term is impossible to define for a label that put out a recital of the Austrian Baroque composer Johann Heinrich Schmelzer one month and the five-disc soundtrack of Jean-Luc Godard's film 'Histoire(s) du Cinéma' the next. For 'listeners who care about music,' it all fits into one imaginative whole. Not every release will appeal to the same degree, and some don't appeal at all. But chances are, you will always be curious about what comes next. As with all enterprises driven largely by a founder's vision, though, the question of ECM New Series's future is vexing. In his emailed answers, Eicher indicated that there were 'plenty of projects' both waiting for release and yet to be realized. But the inescapable fact is that, at 82, he cannot be around for what I hope will be the label's next 40 years. My final question to Eicher was about what the label's future might be, beyond his lifetime. His response was crisp and succinct, though singularly unavailing as an answer: 'Time will tell.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
SCOTLAND: Tattoo organisers make ‘difficult decision' to cancel performance due to storm
The organisers of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo have announced the 'difficult decision' to cancel Monday evening's performance due to the inclement conditions brought about by Storm Floris. The world-famous music, marching, dance and fireworks extravaganza takes place in August each year on the Esplanade at Edinburgh Castle, and this year was scheduled to be held each day from August 1-23. However on Sunday evening the organisers said Monday's event has been cancelled due to safety concerns resulting from Storm Floris, which is expected to bring gusts in excess of 60mph to the capital on Monday. In a post on social media the organisers said: 'We're sorry to announce that due to adverse weather warnings, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tomorrow's performance on August 4 at 9:30pm. 'We understand this will be disappointing, but the safety of our audience, performers and staff is our top priority. 'All tickets for the August 4 performance will be automatically cancelled and refunded. Those wishing to rebook will find up-to-date availability at Edinburgh is covered by a Met office amber weather warning on Monday, with a warning of damage to buildings and trees, possible power cuts, and transport problems as a result of high winds. The Tattoo is not the only casualty of the bad expected weather – the Fringe by the Sea at North Berwick has also been cancelled on Monday as a result of Storm Floris. In a social media post the organisers of the 10-day arts festival said: 'With Storm Floris incoming, we have taken the decision to close Fringe By The Sea today, Monday August 4. 'We will reopen on Tuesday August 5 from 10am. 'Ticket holders for events on Monday August 4 will be notified by email of cancellations or rescheduled events. 'Cancelled events will be refunded automatically – please bear with us while we work with our ticketing agent to process these transactions.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo cancelled for first time in 75 years
THe Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been cancelled amid warnings of Storm Floris, it has been announced. It is the first weather-related cancellation in the event's 75 -year history. Performances were previously cancelled during the pandemic in both 2020 and 2021. An amber weather warning is in place for the majority of Scotland between 10am and 10pm on Monday. The cancellation is for the August 4 performance at 9.30pm. An emergency planning meeting had been called on Sunday afternoon to discuss the latest developments as the storm made its way across the Atlantic towards Scotland. READ MORE: Scotland faces upgraded amber warning with strong winds due The team had told the public to keep an eye out for updates as 'the safety and well-being of our audience members, performers, and staff remain our top priority'. In a statement posted after the meeting, Edinburgh Tattoo organisers stated on social media: 'We're sorry to announce that due to adverse weather warnings, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tomorrow's performance on 4 August at 9:30pm. 'We understand this will be disappointing, but the safety of our audience, performers and staff is our top priority. 'All tickets for the 4th August performance will be automatically cancelled and refunded. Those wishing to rebook will find up-to-date availability at Elsewhere, The City of Edinburgh Council said they would be closing Princes Street Gardens on Monday and Tuesday "due to high winds". It comes after ScotRail announced that no trains will run on a range of key railway lines from midday on Monday due to high wind speeds expected from 10am. Scots are being warned to plan ahead as the storm is set to batter parts of the country with winds of up to 85mph. Network Rail also announced on Sunday afternoon that it would be taking measures to keep passengers safe amid the bad weather. The following train lines will not operate after midday on Monday: Edinburgh – Fife/Perth/Dundee Perth – Dundee/Aberdeen/Inverness Dunblane - Perth Inverness – Aberdeen/Wick/Thurso/Kyle of Lochalsh West Highland Line (Helensburgh Upper – Oban, Fort William and Mallaig)
