Hans Christian Aavik (violin), Estonian National Symphony Orchestra / Neeme Järvi, Olari Elts

Verbytsky / Chubynsky National Anthem of Ukraine
Eller Homeland Tune (1918/1953)
Sibelius Andante festivo (1922/1938)
Tüür Violin Concerto no.2 ‘Angel’s Share’ (2018)
Sumera Symphony no.2 (1984)

Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn
Wednesday 15 April 2026

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood Pictures (c) Ben Hogwood

There was a celebratory air to this concert in the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra’s Violin Concerto series, which began with powerful solidarity as the orchestra played the Ukrainian National Anthem to a standing audience.

They were conducted by the return of the much-loved Neeme Järvi, soon to be 89 – the unofficial godfather of an Estonian conducting dynasty now spreading well beyond his own sons Paavo and Kristjan. Järvi also conducted Homeland Tune by the pioneering Estonian composer Heino Eller, whose stints at Tartu and Tallinn musical establishments found him teaching the likes of Arvo Pärt and Tubin. The burnished string tone of the Estonian NSO strings was to be savoured in this affectionate rendering, as it was in a warm account of Andante Festivo, the popular Sibelius encore.

The impish Järvi, playing to the gallery, was then joined on stage by Martin Cullingford (above) editor of Gramophone magazine. While there were mischievous asides from the conductor there were serious points too – the merits of composer Joachim Raff, the latest in a long list of countless musical discoveries, and the concluding exhortation that without music, life is nothing. It was difficult to disagree, Järvi showing just why he is held in such great esteem.

So, too, is composer Erkki-Sven Tüür, in his fifties but with a thirty-year career in which he has established himself on the world stage as a composer whose evolution is compelling to witness. Tüür writes with great fluency in established classical forms, and his Violin Concerto no.2 shows his ability to apply an emotive program to those structures. ‘Angel’s Share’ refers to the pocket of air appearing in a barrel of whisky during the ageing process, a phenomenon applied to the maturing of an adult.

The silvery edge to the tone of violinist Hans Christian Aavik was the ideal spur for music that engaged in luminous dialogue, while laced with folksy references. The frequency spectrum of this piece is wide, from the metallic percussion of the first gesture to the important part played by the double basses, providing notable depth, their counter melodies central as the concerto pushed forward. Aavik’s virtuosity was key, convincingly delivering with spacious phrasing. This concerto needs repeated listening but is on its way to becoming a repertoire regular.

The same fate should befall the Second Symphony of Lepo Sumera, a 20-minute single movement span that proved something of a revelation. Sumera is not often heard beyond his own country, but this work completely validated his compositional approach, blending an American-style minimalism – admired by John Adams, no less – with fresh melodies and open textures that could only be Baltic in origin.

The work began with the two harps (Sara Siria D’Amico and Saale Kivimaker) who played exquisitely, their distinctive motifs the seeds from which the music grew, forming like a sped-up motion picture of the growth of a tree, its branches extending outwards and upwards in twisting figures, germinating new ideas at every turn while all the while building a majestic canopy.

Olari Elts oversaw this process with admirable surety, aided by unexpected interventions from the trombones, and double basses, with wild whoops and guttural phrases introducing a more primal edge. The climactic section confirmed Sumera’s continental approach, for the tree could now be in the American plains given the wide-open textures around, and also his tight grasp of structure, with barely a note out of place. Gradually the music returned to earth, and to the harps of the beginning, its story told in a singularly powerful voice.

Sumera’s output numbers seven symphonies, each earmarked for release in recordings by this conductor and orchestra on the Finnish label Ondine. Judging by this rediscovered masterpiece, we are in for a treat – and for Sumera, whose life was cut tragically short at the age of 50, recognition of his talents looks set to go well beyond this appreciative Tallinn concert hall.

Published post no.2,862 – Sunday 19 April 2026