EstDocs, the Estonian Documentary Film Festival in partnership with the Tartu College Film Society is proud to present a special screening of two films: one focused on Arvo Pärt's work and one focused on his main collaborator Tõnu Kaljuste on Sunday September 29, 2013. Soundstreams, the international centre for new directions in music, invites audiences to take part in two musical evenings on Friday September 20 and Tuesday October 1. Attendees at all events can expect thought-provoking Q&A and lively discussions, in addition to mingling opportunities.
The New York Times states the following about the composer, “Pärt is playing for higher stakes. He wants to touch something that he would call the soul, and to a remarkable extent, he is succeeding.” The combination of both film and on-stage performances will enrich the overall audience experience. Both EstDocs films provide a deeper context into how Pärt and Kaljuste have influenced and shaped the musical world, while the live performances will invite audiences to experience the ethereal brilliance of Pärt's recent work for choir and string orchestra.
Event descriptions are as follows:
Soundstreams Salon 21: The Sound in Silence, The Music of Arvo Pärt
Friday September 20, Gardiner Museum
Free event, register here
Meet and greet at 7:00 p.m. Performances and chat start at 7:30 p.m. and mingling at 8:30 p.m.
Estonian composer Arvo Pärt has created a musical language that mixes post-modernism, spirituality, consonance and beauty. His work will be explored in discussion with Mark Vuorinen, choral conductor and scholar of Estonian music, and through performances of several of Pärt's seminal vocal works.
EstDocs showcases Arvo Pärt in Istanbul (Arvo Pärt Istanbulis) and Headwind Hall (Vastutuulesaal)
Sunday September 29, Tartu College
Pay what you can at the door, all proceeds to VEMU (Museum of Estonians Abroad)
Doors open at 4:00 p.m. Q&A and reception with Estonian Kringel coffee bread and coffee follows screening at approximately 5:30 pm
Estonian with English subtitles
Estonian Television (ETV) 32 minute Arvo Pärt in Istanbul (2010) is about the premiere of Arvo Pärt's “Adam's Lament” in Istanbul, Turkey which was conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste.
Headwind Hall (2007) produced by Artur Talvik / Ruut Pictures, 55 minute film focuses on Tõnu Kaljuste's plan to build an opera house on Nargen Island in Estonia. EstDocs screened this film in 2007, where it received the Audience Favourite Award. EstDocs thanks Estonian Public Broadcasting, Universal Edition Wien and Artur Talvik / Ruut Pictures for their cooperation and assistance.
The Music of Arvo Pärt
Tuesday October 1, Koerner Hall at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning
Pärt's fellow Estonian and long-time collaborator Tõnu Kaljuste conducts Choir 21 and string orchestra in a program featuring the Canadian premiere of Pärt's L'abbé Agathon and Adam's Lament, with performances by soprano Shannon Mercer and baritone Geoffrey Sirett. The concert also features premieres by James Rolfe and Riho Esko Maimets.
Pre-Concert Chat at 7:00 p.m.
Come early for a discussion with Soundstreams Artistic Director, Lawrence Cherney, and composers Riho Maimets and James Rolfe. They will explore the contemplative spirituality in the music of Arvo Pärt and tell us about their works premiering at the concert.
ABOUT ESTDOCS
EstDocs is a not-for-profit Estonian Documentary film festival and competition held in Toronto that presents the unheard stories from the Baltic nation of Estonia. Its mission is to provide a 360 perspective on Estonian history, politics, arts, culture and more. During the past eight years EstDocs has raised the profile of up-and-coming filmmakers and has had the pleasure of featuring the country's top internationally recognized filmmakers. All public screenings are either in English or have English subtitles. The 9th annual EstDocs festival runs from October 17 – 22, 2013
EstDocs is presented by Tartu College, whose mandate is to study and promote culture through the literature, music and art of minority nationalities in Canada, particularly those of the Baltics
ABOUT SOUNDSTREAMS
Led by Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney and Executive Director Chris Lorway, Soundstreams is a Toronto-based music presenter that commissions, develops, and showcases the work of contemporary Canadian composers and their international counterparts. These innovative collaborations are performed by the finest artists from Canada and around the world, and are presented in an annual concert series, in national and international tours, and through a variety of education and outreach activities. To mark our 30th anniversary season in 2012/2013, Soundstreams launched SoundMakers, an innovative website and iPad app that invites music lovers to explore Soundstreams' commissioned works and create new works of their own.
Over the past three decades, Soundstreams commissions have added more than 150 works to the musical repertoire worldwide, reflecting a diverse variety of genres and cultural traditions. Projects have included festivals and conferences, as well as award-winning operas including Thomson Highway and Melissa Hui's Cree opera Pimooteewin: The Journey and R. Murray Schafer's site-specific opera The Children's Crusade
For more information on EstDocs, visit estdocs.com, Please visit Facebook.com/EstDocs and follow @estdocs on Twitter
For more information on Soundstreams, visit soundstreams.ca. Stream music, explore and create using SoundMakers at soundmakers.ca. Please visit facebook.com/Soundstreams and follow @soundstreams on Twitter
For more information please contact:
Kaili Lupp, EstDocs
info@estdocs.com
Piret Noorhani, Tartu College
416 925 9405
piret.noorhani@vemu.ca
Sarah Baumann, Soundstreams
416-504-1282, ext. 102
sarahb@soundstreams.ca
