Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

“One of the great choirs of the world” (Artsdesk) places the famous music of Arvo Pärt at the heart of this programme of splendid choral music.

Celebrating Pärt’s 90th birthday year with a selection of his hypnotic and breathtakingly beautiful music, including the renowned Magnificat and Peace Upon You, Jerusalem. The concert also features the famous extract from Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, Bogoroditse Devo, alongside music by J.S. Bach and the Ukrainian composer Galina Grigorjeva.

The programme is completed by the stunning Curse upon Iron (1972) by Estonian composer – and Pärt’s teacher – Veljo Tormis. Inspired by the insistent beating of a shamanic drum, the work sets ritual incantations from the Finnish epic Kalevala. As Tormis wrote: “The idea of the composition derives from shamanism: in order to acquire power over a material or immaterial thing, one communicates knowledge to the object. Thus the describing and explaining of the birth of iron to iron itself forms a part of the shamanic process. The magical rite is performed to restrain the evil hiding inside iron. Each and every thing created by man may turn against man himself when used without respect towards the living.” Curse upon Iron has remained in the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s repertoire for nearly half a century and has become a symbol of both the Choir and Tormis’s legacy.

Fresh from a performance at the BBC Proms, the astounding Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir with legendary conductor Tõnu Kaljuste are the perfect companions for this stunning programme.

Download programme notes.

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Kadri Toomoja organ
Tõnu Kaljuste conductor

Arvo Pärt:: Littlemore Tractus (6’)
Arvo Pärt:: Da pacem Domine (Revised 2004) (6’)
Arvo Pärt:: Veni creator (3’)
Arvo Pärt:: Magnificat (7’)
Arvo Pärt:: The Deer’s Cry (5’)
Arvo Pärt:: Für Jan van Eyck (3’)
Galina Grigorjeva:: “Spring is Coming” from Svyatki (3’)
Rachmaninoff:: Vespers, Op. 37: VII. “Slava v vïshnikh Bogu” (3’)
Rachmaninoff:: Vespers, Op. 37: VI. “Bogoroditse Devo” (3’)
J.S. Bach:: Ich lasse dich nicht BWV Anh.159 (5’)
Arvo Pärt:: Peace Upon You, Jerusalem (6’)
Arvo Pärt:: De Profundis (7’)
Veljo Tormis:: Curse Upon Iron (10’)
Arvo Pärt:: Vater Unser (3’)

With English surtitles.

Man with white hair wearing glasses against a dark background looks at the camera with an enigmatic smile. — Tõnu Kaljuste
Credit: Kroot Tarkmeel

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is one of the best-known Estonian music ensembles, performing all around the world. The choir was founded in 1981 by Tõnu Kaljuste, who was the artistic director for 20 years. He was succeeded by Paul Hillier, Daniel Reuss and Kaspars Putniņš. In August 2021 Tõnu Kaljuste returned as artistic director.

The choir’s repertoire extends from baroque to the music of the 21st century, with a special focus on the Estonian composers, such as Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis and others. The choir has two Grammy Awards, 16 Grammy nominations, Gramophone Award, Diapason d’Or, Prix Caecilia etc. BBC Music Magazine and Classic FM, UK radio station, have both named the EPCC as one of the 10 best choirs in the world.

Kadri Toomoja graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with a bachelor's degree in piano (2017, cum laude, under Professor Toivo Nahkur) and continues her studies in the master’s program in organ (under Professor Andres Uibo). Since the fall of 2020, Toomoja has been studying at the Sibelius Academy in Finland (under Professor Olli Porthan). She has participated in masterclasses with Ton Koopman, Matthias Schneider, and Krzysztof Urbaniak. In 2020, Kadri Toomoja received the Tõnu Kaljuste Scholarship.

Tõnu Kaljuste has gained international recognition with his diverse repertoire, which ranges from operas and classical symphonic works to contemporary music. He has worked with major modernist composers of Northern and Eastern Europe, such as Alfred Schnittke, György Kurtág, Krzysztof Penderecki, Giya Kancheli, and Einojuhani Rautavaara, and is recognised as an expert interpreter and advocate of Estonian composers, including Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Tõnu Kõrvits, Veljo Tormis, and Heino Eller.