ERSO Concert Series 2022/2023
18. May 2022.
In the 2022/2023 season, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) and Olari Elts, principal conductor of the orchestra, will be bringing to the audience six concert series: ‘MAESTRO’, ‘PIANO CONCERTO’, ‘ROMANCE’, ‘AUDIO SPA’, ‘SYMPHONIC LUNCHES’, and, for the first time, ‘PURE GOLD’, which features the best-known creators of the classical music world and their works. This season, the most outstanding interpreters of the younger generation of Estonia as well as first-class musicians from other parts of the world will be performing with our orchestra. As usual, there are four concerts in each series, with the exception of the daytime concert series ‘Symphonic Lunches’, which will take place seven times.
The series will take place in the Estonia Concert Hall, except for the ‘Audio Spa’ series, which will take the audience to discover new exciting concert venues this year.
The price of a series ticket (four concerts) is 78 euros / 63 euros* (a set of single tickets costs 108 euros / 80 euros*).
The ‘Symphonic Lunches’ series ticket (seven concerts) costs 45.50 euros (a set of single tickets costs 63 euros).
* The discounted ticket is valid for pupils, students, and pensioners upon the presentation of a document certifying the discount.
Single tickets will come on sale on 30 June.
MAESTRO
The new season of ERSO will kick off with principal conductor Olari Elts. The orchestra will perform Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler and Symphony No. 10 Aeris by Erkki-Sven Tüür for four horns and symphony orchestra (Estonian premiere). The latter is the latest opus of Tüür for the symphony orchestra, commissioned by the Bochum Symphoniker, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and ERSO. The joint order was supported by the Foundation Kultuuripartnerluse Sihtasutus. The author of the idea was the German Hornsound horn quartet, which will also take the stage that evening.
The Honorary Principal Conductor for Life of ERSO Neeme Järvi will perform with the orchestra again in October. They will perform a selection of overtures by German composers and Symphony No. 11 The Winter by Joachim Raff.
In December, Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu will bring works by two great masters of our northern neighbours to the stage of the Estonia Concert Hall. The audience will be able to enjoy Symphony No. 4 by Jean Sibelius and Symphony No. 7 by Einojuhani Rautavaara. Soprano Sanna Iljin will perform the motet Exsultate, jubilate by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The ‘Maestro’ series will end with the legendary Polish conductor Antoni Wit, who will perform the Concerto for Orchestra by Witold Lutosławski, which has elements of Polish folk music, and Polonia, the overture by Richard Wagner, which is also inspired by Polish music. Marcel Johannes Kits, one of the most prominent cellists of the younger generation in Estonia, will solo in the Cello Concerto by Edward Elgar.
I: SEASON OPENER. Mahler and Tüür
Friday, 16 September 2022
at 7 p.m. (pre-concert at 6 p.m.)
Varèse. Tuning Up
Mahler. Symphony No. 1
Tüür. Symphony No. 10 Aeris
GERMAN HORNSOUND horn quartet, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
II: JÄRVI AND AUTUMN CLASSICS
Friday, 7 October 2022
at 7 p.m.
Raff. Symphony No. 11 The Winter
Marschner. Overture to the opera Hans Heiling
Humperdinck. Overture to the opera Royal Children
Nicolai. Overture to the opera The Merry Wives of Windsor
Lortzing. Overture to the opera The Gunsmith
ERSO, conductor NEEME JÄRVI
III: HANNU LINTU AND SIBELIUS
Friday, 16 December 2022
at 7 p.m.
Mozart. Exsultate, jubilate
Sibelius. Symphony No. 4
Rautavaara. Symphony No. 7 Angel of Light
SANNA ILJIN soprano, ERSO, conductor HANNU LINTU
IV: ANTONI WIT AND MARCEL KITS
Friday, 3 February 2023
at 7 p.m.
Wagner. Overture Polonia
Elgar. Cello Concerto
Lutosławski. Concerto for Orchestra
MARCEL JOHANNES KITS cello, ERSO, conductor ANTONI WIT
PIANO CONCERTO
This year, the ‘Piano Concerto’ series will be opened by Ukrainian pianist Anna Shelest, who has previously recorded Piano Concerto No. 3 and Piano Concerto No. 5 by Anton Rubinstein with ERSO and conductor Neeme Järvi. They will perform Piano Concerto No. 1 by the same composer at this concert.
In November, Garrick Ohlsson, an American pianist with a long international career, will perform Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff with ERSO. Joseph Bastian, a conductor with French–Swiss roots who won the Neeme Järvi Prize in 2016, will be conducting the performance.
In March, Tähe-Lee Liiv, a young pianist who has won numerous competitions, will perform Piano Concerto by Edvard Grieg with ERSO. The concert will be conducted by Brazilian conductor Simone Menezes. For the first time ever, ERSO will play Lili Boulanger – they will perform Of a Sad Evening, originally created for a piano trio. The suite Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7 by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos combines the complexity of Johann Sebastian Bach with the intonations of Brazilian music.
In May, the Estonian audience will be able to see and listen to British pianist Freddy Kempf with ERSO for two consecutive weeks. Immediately after the end of the season, ERSO and conductor Olari Elts will tour United Kingdom with Kempf. Kempf will perform Piano Concerto No. 1 by Rachmaninoff at the final concert of the ‘Piano Concerto’ series.
I: JÄRVI AND RUBINSTEIN
Friday, 23 September 2022
at 7 p.m.
M. Järvi. Morbid Symphony
Rubinstein. Piano Concerto No. 1
Raff. Symphony No. 10 In Autumn
ANNA SHELEST piano, ERSO, conductor NEEME JÄRVI
II: OHLSSON AND RACHMANINOFF
Friday, 18 November 2022
at 7 p.m.
Rachmaninoff. Piano Concerto No. 2
Strauss. Tone poem Death and Transfiguration
Messiaen. Forgotten Offerings
GARRICK OHLSSON piano, ERSO, conductor JOSEPH BASTIAN
III: TÄHE-LEE LIIV AND GRIEG
Friday, 31 March 2023
at 7 p.m.
Ravel. La valse
Grieg. Piano Concerto
Boulanger. Of a Sad Evening
Villa-Lobos. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7
TÄHE-LEE LIIV piano, ERSO, conductor SIMONE MENEZES
IV: KEMPF AND RACHMANINOFF
Friday, 5 May 2023
at 7 p.m.
Rachmaninoff. Piano Concerto No. 1
Musgrave. Song of the Enchanter
Sibelius. Symphony No. 5
FREDDY KEMPF piano, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
ROMANCE
The opening concert of the ‘Romance’ series Forbidden Love takes place in cooperation with the symphony orchestra of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. A selection of works inspired by love stories by César Franck, Mieczysław Karłowicz, and Maurice Ravel will be performed. Daniel Lozakovich, a young prominent Swedish violinist, will perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Olari Elts, principal conductor of ERSO.
Arvo Volmer, the former principal conductor of ERSO, will celebrate his 60th birthday this autumn. To celebrate, he will perform with ERSO Symphony No. 11, the last (unfinished) symphony by Tubin, and Symphony No. 2 by Brahms. Prominent violinist Isabelle Faust will solo in Violin Concerto No. 2 by Bartók. She has performed with some of the most prestigious orchestras in the world and won numerous awards for her recordings.
The third concert of the series will also focus on violin music, with ERSO’s concertmaster Triin Ruubel soloing. She will perform the violin concerto by Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks entitled Distant Light. The concert will be conducted by Kristiina Poska, who opened the ‘Romance’ series with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra last season. This year, in addition to Vasks, she will perform works by Ülo Krigul and Antonín Dvořák with ERSO.
The last concert of the series is also the final concert of the ERSO season, where the works planned for the concert tour in United Kingdom in May will be performed. Pianist Freddy Kempf will perform Piano Concerto No. 3 by Rachmaninoff and we will also hear works by Pärt and Dvořák conducted by Olari Elts.
I: FORBIDDEN LOVE
Friday, 30 September 2022
at 7 p.m.
Franck. Psyché et Eros
Tchaikovsky. Violin Concerto
Karłowicz. Stanisław and Anna Oświecimowie
Ravel. Suite from the ballet Daphnis et Chloé
DANIEL LOZAKOVICH violin, ERSO and the EAMT Symphony Orchestra, conductor OLARI ELTS
II: VOLMER AND FAUST. Arvo Volmer 60
Friday, 14 October 2022
at 7 p.m.
Tubin. Symphony No. 11
Bartók. Violin Concerto No. 2
Brahms. Symphony No. 2
ISABELLE FAUST violin, ERSO, conductor ARVO VOLMER
III: DISTANT LIGHT
Friday, 14 April 2023
at 7 p.m.
Krigul. Chordae
Vasks. Violin Concerto Distant Light
Dvořák. Symphony No. 9
TRIIN RUUBEL violin, ERSO, conductor KRISTIINA POSKA
IV: FINAL CONCERT OF THE SEASON
Wednesday, 10 May 2023
at 7 p.m.
Pärt. Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Rachmaninoff. Piano Concerto No. 3
Dvořák. Symphony No. 7
FREDDY KEMPF piano, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
PURE GOLD
The new concert series ‘Pure Gold’ of ERSO brings to the audience the absolute best of classical music. The most famous and beloved works by Viennese classics and other great masters will be performed. Each concert in this series is preceded by a thematic discussion with a pre-concert, which can be accessed with a ticket to the evening symphony concert.
ERSO and conductor Olari Elts will bring the Christmas spirit to the audience. The Christmas concert will feature works by father and son, Leopold and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Hans Christian Aavik, a young violinist who has just won the prestigious Nielsen Competition, will perform Violin Concerto No. 2 of the latter.
At the second concert of the series, ERSO will be conducted by Jun Märkl, who has collaborated with ERSO several times in recent years. A selection of well-known and popular orchestral works will be performed: The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II, Symphony No. 3 by Brahms, and Piano Concerto No. 23 by Mozart performed by pianist Sten Heinoja.
In March, the audience will once again be able to enjoy an ERSO concert dedicated to Baroque music after several years. A selection of works by the Bach family and early works by Joseph Haydn and Henri-Joseph Rigel will be performed. The concert will be conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini, a renowned interpreter and conductor of baroque music and an expert in Italian opera.
A week later, ERSO will be joined by Matthew Halls and cellist Pieter Wispelwey, both of whom are known for the versatility of their repertoire and the expert performance of music from different eras. They will perform Cello Concerto and the overture The Desert Island by Haydn, as well as Symphony No. 1 by Anton Bruckner.
I: CHRISTMAS CONCERT BY ERSO Elts and Mozart
Friday, 23 December 2022
at 7 p.m. (pre-concert at 6 p.m.)
Mozart. Overture to the opera The Impresario
Mozart. Violin Concerto No. 2
Mozart. Symphony No. 35 Haffner
L. Mozart. Musical Sleigh Ride
HANS CHRISTIAN AAVIK violin, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
II: MÄRKL AND BRAHMS
Friday, 10 February 2023
at 7 p.m. (pre-concert at 6 p.m.)
J. Strauss II. The Blue Danube
Mozart. Piano Concerto No. 23
Brahms. Symphony No. 3
STEN HEINOJA piano, ERSO, conductor JUN MÄRKL
III: ALESSANDRINI AND THE BACHS
Friday, 17 March 2023
at 7 p.m. (pre-concert at 6 p.m.)
J. S. Bach. Sinfonia to cantata BWV 52 False world, I trust you not
C. P. E. Bach. Symphony in F major Wq 183/3
J. Ch. Bach. Sinfonia in G minor Op 6 No. 6
W. F. Bach. Sinfonia in D minor F 65
Haydn. Sinfonia No. 38 in C major
Rigel. Sinfonia No. 4 in C minor
ERSO, conductor RINALDO ALESSANDRINI
IV: HALLS AND BRUCKNER
Friday, 24 March 2023
at 7 p.m. (pre-concert at 6 p.m.)
Haydn. Overture The Desert Island
Haydn. Cello Concerto No. 1
Bruckner. Symphony No. 1
ERSO, conductor MATTHEW HALLS
AUDIO SPA
In the concert series ‘Audio Spa’, which started last season, we will continue to go on musical journeys in the late evenings. This season, ERSO is taking its audience to discover exciting concert venues outside the Estonia Concert Hall.
The opening concert of the series will take place this year before the official opening of the season, on 8 September, and will bring the audience to the heart of techno in Tallinn. At the concert ‘STEREO IS KING!’ in club Hall, ERSO chamber formations will perform, with the focus of the night being on the percussion formation. DJ Ivo Naries will also perform.
The second concert of ‘Audio Spa’ will take place, as usual, in the Estonia Concert Hall. However, the concert programme is anything but traditional. Taavi Kerikmäe will perform the Synthesizer Concerto by Ülo Krigul. In addition, Olari Elts and ERSO will perform the work of Norwegian composer Øyvind Torvund, who is greatly influenced by his background in the field of rock and improvisational music. The audience will also hear Harmonielehre by John Adams, which the composer himself has described as a statement of his faith in the power of tonality at a time when its future seemed uncertain.
In January, ERSO chamber formations invites the audience to the international photography museum Fotografiska. The works of Steve Reich, John Adams, and Dobrinka Tabakova will be performed in the museum filled with photographic art.
The series will end in February and this time, the audience is once again invited to the Estonia Concert Hall. Conductor Joseph Swensen and ERSO will perform Symphony No. 6 and Symphony No. 7 by Sibelius. Clarinettist Maximiliano Martin will solo in Gnarly Buttons by John Adams. The audience will also be able to enjoy the fanfare for orchestra Short Ride on a Fast Machine by Adams, which is a great example of his post-minimalist style.
I: STEREO IS KING! Club Hall
Thursday, 8 September 2022
at 9 p.m. (pre-concert at 8 p.m.)
Tüür. Motus II
Reich. Drumming Part 1
ERSO chamber formations, DJ Ivo Naries
II: BACK TO THE FUTURE
Friday, 4 November 2022
at 9 p.m. (pre-concert at 8 p.m.)
Torvund. A Walk into the Future
Krigul. Synthesizer Concerto
Adams. Harmonielehre
TAAVI KERIKMÄE synthesizer, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
III: SHAKER LOOPS. Fotografiska
Friday, 27 January 2023
at 9 p.m. (pre-concert at 8 p.m.)
Reich. WTC 9/11
Adams. Shaker Loops
Tabakova. Such Different Paths
ERSO chamber formations
IV: SHORT RIDE ON A FAST MACHINE
Friday, 17 February 2023
at 9 p.m. (pre-concert at 8 p.m.)
Adams. Short Ride on a Fast Machine
Adams. Gnarly Buttons
Sibelius. Symphony No. 6
Sibelius. Symphony No. 7
MAXIMILIANO MARTIN clarinet, ERSO, conductor JOSEPH SWENSEN
SYMPHONIC LUNCHES
A lunch break that invigorates the mind. The Thursday lunch concerts will be bringing to the audience the best selection of the Friday night programme.
I: FORBIDDEN LOVE
Thursday, 29 September 2022
at 1 p.m.
Franck. Psyché et Eros
Tchaikovsky. Violin Concerto Part 1
Ravel. Suite from the ballet Daphnis et Chloé
DANIEL LOZAKOVICH violin, ERSO and the EAMT Symphony Orchestra, conductor OLARI ELTS
II: VOLMER AND FAUST. Arvo Volmer 60
Thursday, 13 October 2022
at 1 p.m.
Tubin. Symphony No. 11
Brahms. Symphony No. 2
ERSO, conductor ARVO VOLMER
III: ERSO on its way to Paris
Tuesday, 29 November 2022
at 1 p.m.
Tobias. Overture Julius Caesar
Dvořák. Symphony No. 8
ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
IV: CHRISTMAS CONCERT BY ERSO Elts and Mozart
Wednesday, 21 December 2022
at 1 p.m.
Mozart. Overture to the opera The Impresario
Mozart. Violin Concerto No. 2 Part 1
Mozart. Symphony No. 35 Haffner
HANS CHRISTIAN AAVIK violin, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
V: MÄRKL AND BRAHMS
Thursday, 9 February 2023
at 1 p.m.
J. Strauss II. The Blue Danube
Mozart. Violin Concerto No. 23 Part 1
Brahms. Symphony No. 3 Part 1
STEN HEINOJA piano, ERSO, conductor JUN MÄRKL
VI: TÄHE-LEE LIIV AND GRIEG
Thursday, 30 March 2023
at 1 p.m.
Grieg. Piano Concerto Part 1
Boulanger. Of a Sad Evening
Villa-Lobos. Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7
TÄHE-LEE LIIV piano, ERSO, conductor SIMONE MENEZES
VII: KEMPF AND RACHMANINOFF
Thursday, 4 May 2023
at 1 p.m.
Rachmaninoff. Violin Concerto No. 2 Part 1
Dvořák. Symphony No. 9
FREDDY KEMPF piano, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS