print this page Festival 2008 Tuesday, August 5th 2008 at 7 pm Kuressaare Cultural Centre (Tallinna St. 6) OPENING CONCERT Andres Paas (piano) Miina Järvi (violin) Marius Järvi (cello) Programme: Franz Joseph Haydn - Piano Trio E flat major no 23 Eduard Tubin - Sonata for alto sax&piano (version for cello & piano) Anton Arensky - Piano Trio d minor, Op. 32 This year Andres Paas, the artistic director and manager of the festival, pianist and teacher, has invited the younger generation of the world famous Järvi family - violinist Miina Järvi and cellist Marius Järvi - to join him in ensemble playing. Miina and Marius Järvi have been very successful at important competitions here and elsewhere, and they have also participated in master classes taught by leading string players. In autumn 2000 Marius Järvi released his first solo CD “Via” in collaboration with the renowned Finnish organist Kalevi Kiviniemi. Andres Paas, the laureate of the Estonian Cultural Fund’s regional prize "Kultuuripärl" (cultural gem), is an eminent pianist and chamber musician, who has participated in many different ensembles in numerous countries and collaborated with many Estonian and international musicians. The programme of the opening concert consists of the classical Haydn’s Piano Trio in E Flat Major and romantically passionate Arensky’s Piano Trio op. 32 in D minor. Also the famous Tubin’s Saxophone Sonata will be performed (a version for cello and piano). Wednesday, August 6th 2008 at 10 pm SPA “Rüütli” Ritter Hall (Pargi 12) VISIONS Sax Quatuor SaxEst Virgo Veldi (alto saxophone) Ivo Lille (soprano&alto saxophone) Lauri Sepp (tenor saxophone) Sulev Sommer (baritone saxophone) Programme: Bach, Grigorjeva, Dubois, Daquin, Dedrick, Matitia, Barker, Ignatjev, Iturralde The saxophone quartet SaxEst is one of the most popular ensembles in Estonia today. The quartet was founded already in the beginning of the 1990s by four students of the then Tallinn State Conservatoire (now the Estonian Music and Theatre Academy), who came together in order to make music out of enthusiasm and interest towards chamber music. SaxEst has given numerous concerts all over Estonia. The quartet´s aim is to invite the audience to musical adventures with them. The ensemble takes after the best string quartets - after overcoming the difficulties related to the wind instruments, the result should be as close. The ensemble´s repertoire is diverse and ranges from baroque and classicist to contemporary music, Estonian music has an important place in it as well. The programme the quartet performs at the festival is colourful and foot-tapping. In 2003 the quartet released their first CD “Collcutio”. Thursday, August 7th 2008 at 7 pm Kuressaare Cultural Centre (Tallinna St. 6) FANTASIES Szczepan Konczal (piano, Poland) Programme: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Sonata in F major KV 332 Frederick Chopin – Nocturne in c minor op. 48 no. 1 Frederick Chopin – Fantasia in f minor op. 49 Frederick Chopin – 4 Mazurkas op. 24 Johannes Brahms – Variations and fugue on a theme of Haendel in B flat major op. 24 This year the spectacular line of pianists who have performed at the Kuressaare Chamber Music Days will be joined by an outstanding Polish pianist Szczepan Konczal, who has already achieved international fame despite his youth. He has been very successful at many international competitions - he has won the Polish pianists´ competition for seven times, Chopin´s competition (Warsaw) for three times, VII Takasaki International Art and Music Competition (2001, Japan), XVI Vianna da Motta International Pianists’ Competition (2007, Portugal), XI UNISA International Cometition (2008, South-Africa) and many others. For his remarkable achievements he has won several scholarships from many Polish cultural funds as well as from the Polish prime minister and cultural minister. The programme of the recital is exciting and romantical. In collaboration with the Polish Embassy Thursday, August 7th 2008 at 10 pm Kuressaare Castle (Lossihoov 1) CASTLE MUSIC TEMPVS FVGIT vocal sextet from Corsica Benoit Pelerin (basso) Sebastien Bonetti (basso) Eric Natali (basso, contra canto) Hervé Muglioni (tenor, alto, seconda) Patrick Vignoli (tenor, alto, contra canto) Louis Fanucchi (alto, terza) Programme: Sacred songs of Corsica Vocal sextet Tempvs Fvgit (from the exotic island of Corsica) bring unique Corsican polyphonic music to Kuressaare. The music they perform is ethnic sacral music, which is a mixture of different cultural traditions due to the island’s rich historic background. The sacral folk music that exists in the ensemble’s repertoire derives mostly from the 7th century. The main symbol of the repertoire is a circle demonstrating the material, spiritual and mental level. The ensemble’s concert is like a sacred ritual and the priests in this ritual are the men dressed in black standing in a half- circle and forming a joint spiritual brotherhood. The ensemble found in 2000 has introduced this unique musical genre in many countries, at many international music festivals and it has also been recorded on several CDs, including for the record label Harmonia Mundi. Soon the ensemble will release a new CD named "Profanes". The performance of Tempvs Fvgit at the Calvi Polyphonic Music Festival in 2003 created a huge sensation. Not only because of their unusual vocal technique but of their innovative repertoire as well. In collaboration with Centre Culturel Français (Tallinn) Friday, August 8th 2008 at 10 pm SPA "Rüütli" Ritter Hall (Pargi 12) EXOTIC PROMENADES "EL CORAZÓN ABIERTO": flamenco performance from Spain Estefania Cuevas (dance) Ana Maria Garcia (dance) El Sobrino (vocal) Jesus Majuelos (guitar) Flamenco performance "El Corazon Abierto" (With an Open Heart) is as colourful and diverse as flamenco itself. There is a saying in Spain: “Flamenco embodies all the emotions of a human being.” And that really is the case. Also in this performance there are sad, almost tragical songs and dances with which the performer seems to retell stories of one’s own life. It has to be said that the Spanish people themselves appreciate that kind of serious and content-rich flamenco. Naturally also the other part of flamenco is represented that the foreigners, including Estonians are used to see as flamenco - fast and temperamental dance, powerful singing, rhythm that gathers speed... Some more spice to different songs and dances are added by an interesting set of performers. Two young female dancers show the different layers of flamenco and in a way they represent the two opposite sides - one is sensual and soft, the other powerful and temperamental. The same can be said about the musicians - the young guitarist is sensitive and expressive, and the singer opposes him with the intensity that is natural to the traditional flamenco song. All of the above contributes to the dynamic and powerful performance. It is said that people either love or hate flamenco. You have to decide for yourself. But make this decision with an Open Heart! In collaboration with the Spanish Embassy Saturday, August 9th 2008 at 7 pm Kuressaare Cultural Centre (Tallinna St. 6) FINALE Ciurlionis Quartet (Lithuania) Jonas Tankevicius (violin) Darius Dikshaitis (violin) Gediminas Dancinskas (viola) Saulius Lipcius (cello) Programme: Franz Joseph Haydn - String Quartet No. 4, op. 17 Faustas Latenas - String Quartet "In Eternal Memory" Johannes Brahms - String Quartet No. 1, op. 51 c minor "...Ciurlionis Quartet - Wow! The ensemble is flawless and the interpretations sincere and exceptionally precise. The concert was marvelous..." (Bergens Tidende, 2001, Norway). The Ciurlionis Quartet is one of the most dynamic and outstanding Lithuanian chamber ensembles. It was founded 37 years ago and it has given over 3500 concerts all over the world. The ensemble has participated in all the festivals in Lithuania and in many famous music festivals such as Berlin Festwochen, Prague Spring, Schleswig-Holstein music festival, Festival Mitte Europe, festival Pietre che Cantano in Italy, Kuhmo chamber music festival, etc. The quartet has performed in such concert halls as Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Concert Gebouw in Amsterdam, Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Musee d´Orsay in Paris, Royal Festival Hall in London and others. The quartet’s diverse repertoire consists of over 300 works and the quartet has released nine CDs. In 1990 the Ciurlionis Quartet was granted the highest national award of Lithuania.