ESTFestival TubIN. Self-Portrait. Aavik and Gerts
Programme
Eduard Tubin
Sinfonietta on Estonian Motifs
Eduard Tubin
Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Eduard Tubin
Symphony No. 5 in B minor
In collaboration with Eesti Kontsert
While Eduard Tubin’s oeuvre is deeply influenced by Estonian folk music, he turned to traditional heritage in his symphonies on only one occasion. The melodies of “Meil aiaäärne tänavas” and the chorale “Öö lõpeb tääl” resonated so powerfully within him that they found expression in his first symphony written in exile – his fifth. This symphony remains one of the composer’s most intimate works; at the time of its creation, he described a sensation where everything inside him was “ablaze”. A similar intensity defines his dramatic second violin concerto, composed in 1945.
In contrast, the opening piece, Sinfonietta on Estonian Motifs, is a luminous soundscape where introspection alternates with the playful spirit of a village festival. In part, it reveals the youthful, pastoral character that is an inseparable element of Tubin’s artistic identity.