Unlike those featured
in other recordings of Tormis’ choral
music that I have reviewed so far, the
choral songs in this disc are mostly
original settings of Estonian poems
of the 20th Century, and
some of them have an overtly political
character, especially when heard in
the historical context that led to the
Estonian independence and the fall of
the former Soviet Union. In this respect,
some of these poems are particularly
clear, as in Vision of Estonia
(on excerpts from various texts by Juhan
Liivi dating from the late 19th
Century and the early 20th
Century) : "One day there will
be a state of Estonia". Or for
that matter, those of The Viru
Oath ("We should take up
once again the torch/that Tuglas let
drop from his hand/and not be discouraged
by enemy hordes..."). Incidentally,
this highly virtuosic setting bears
a striking resemblance to the central
section of Britten’s Hymn to St
Cecilia; and calls for some
considerably virtuosity. To a certain
extent, too, Story of a Betrayer
(words by Eino Leino) seems to carry
an overt political message, referring
as it does to a man who betrayed his
friends to protect his family. The often
humorous A Conscript’s Escape
from Toompea Castle Home to Kuusalu
also carries a subliminal political
message ("I ran away from my masters...").
Other settings here,
however, overtly reflect Tormis’ prime
concerns : nature, Estonia’s past and
old pagan rites. So, the fairly impressive
Incantatio Maris Aestuosi
(on a text from the Kalevala in Latin
translation) in which folk-like tunes,
sometimes reminiscent of ancient liturgical
chant, alternate with vividly descriptive
elements almost graphically evoking
the tempestuous sea of the title (whistling
sounds) in the central section and the
peaceful breathing of the appeased sea
in the beautifully evocative coda. In
an earlier review, I commented on Tormis’
"vocal orchestration", of
which this setting is another stunning
example. Old Estonian pagan rites are
conjured up in the extraordinary Litany
of Thunder, also characterised
by a sparse, but telling use of the
bass drum. This is a near-cousin to
the equally striking Curse upon
Iron (not recorded here) featuring
a shaman drum. Herding Calls
for soprano and male choir brings us
back into Tormis’ familiar territory
in which peasant songs (herds’ calls
in this case) are woven into a short
tone poem of some sort. This is, as
far as I am concerned, the real gem
in this selection. I was also delighted
to hear Aile Asszonnyi’s clear soprano
voice again. (Indeed, she was one of
the twelve finalists of the 2004 Queen
Elizabeth Song Competition of last May.
During the semi-finals, she sang a delightful
short cycle Kolm Lille
by Tormis, and this fine performance
is now available in the two-CD set released
after the competition [Ambroisie AMB
9956].)
Finally, some of these
settings are just, so to say, part songs
on texts appealing to the composer such
as Double Dedication written
on words by Gustav Suits to commemorate
the centenary of this poet’s birth,
Hamlet’s Songs for double
male choir on words by Rummo or the
beautifully lyrical Our Shadows
on words by Jaan Kaplinski.
So, in short, a varied
selection of original works by Tormis
confirming his wide-ranging outlook
and, needless to say, his remarkable
flair for efficient, telling vocal writing.
All works are superbly served by immaculate
performances. This is a most desirable
release, the more so that it brilliantly
demonstrates the variety of Tormis’s
skills.
As a footnote, I would
like to mention a Finlandia disc that,
I am afraid, passed rather unnoticed,
and that includes two orchestral pieces
by Tormis: the suite from the incidental
music Ookean and the orchestral
suite from the opera Luigelend
(Finlandia 8573-89876-2). Well worth
looking for.
Hubert Culot
Estonian National Male Choir; Aile Asszonyi
(soprano)b; Margus Vaht (bass druma,
whipc); Ants Soots