as if a river were singing… Pärnu City Orchestra & Kaspar Mänd

• Alisson Kruusmaa (b. 1992): as if a river were singing …:
• 1Kruusmaa: as if a river were singing …: I. Molto cantabile, con rubato07:42
• 2Kruusmaa: as if a river were singing …: II. Dolce, sempre con rubato04:56
• 3Kruusmaa: as if a river were singing …: III. Tempo rubato06:18
• Maria Kõrvits (b. 1987): Concrete (Hommage to Olev Siinmaa):
• 4Kõrvits: Concrete (Hommage to Olev Siinmaa)09:21
• Rasmus Puur (b. 1991): Violin concerto:
• 5Puur: Violin concerto: I. Moderato con moto14:13
• 6Puur: Violin concerto: II. Allegro con energico03:46
• 7Puur: Violin concerto: III. Vivace assai08:55
• 8Puur: Violin concerto: IV. Epilogue. Lento05:53
• Total Runtime01:01:04

Info for as if a river were singing…

The album 'as if a river were singing ...' brings together the most recent orchestral compositions of three younger generation Estonian composers, borrowing its title from the album's opening piece, Alisson Kruusmaa's eponymous work. The artists who collaborated on this album regard it as a kind of musical riverbed, with many different streams flowing into it each with its own journey, its own song. The connecting bridge is the Parnu City Orchestra and their chief conductor Kaspar Mand, who commissioned all the recorded works. The pieces were premiered at the Parnu Concert Hall, the home hall of the orchestra, between 2020 and 2021, and are heard here in their world-premiere recordings.

The musicians involved in this recording, including pianist Johan Randvere and violinist Linda-Anette Verte, are united by years of collaboration, as well as generational ties the composers, soloists and conductor were born in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The same may be said of the Parnu City Orchestra, which was founded in 1994.

Composers Alisson Kruusmaa, Maria Korvits and Rasmus Puur are already experienced and recognised artists in Estonia and beyond, and their music shows a maturity that belies their years. These are individual and authentic voices ready to be heard by a wider audience.

Alisson Kruusmaa describes 'as if a river were singing' for piano and orchestra as being "based on the mysterious facets and shades of water and focuses on fluidity, space, contrasts and endless flow." Maria Korvits's 'concrete' is inspired by the relationship between architecture and music and is an homage to the work of Prnu city architect Olev Siinmaa on the 140th anniversary of his birth. The Violin Concerto is Rasmus Puur's first full-length instrumental concerto and was written at the request of violinist Linda-Anette Verte, who also performed it with the Parnu City Orchestra at the concerto's premiere. The work is characterised by dramatic expression and complex sound structures, refined lyricism, and abstract, philosophical themes.

This album is a unique and fascinating collaboration that shines a spotlight on Estonia's rich contemporary music scene.

Johan Randvere, piano
Pärnu City Orchestra
Kaspar Mänd, conductor

Johan Randvere
was born in Tallinn, Estonia, on January 14, 1990.

He began his piano studies at the age of 7 in the Võru Music School. From year 2003 he went to the Tallinn Music High School where he studied with Prof. Ivari Ilja and Marja Jürisson. In 2012 he graduated the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with prof. Ivari Ilja. He has studied also at the Consevatorio G. Verdi di Milano with Prof. Valerio Premuroso. He has received his Master’s Degree at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. He has also taken part in masterclasses conducted by Andrei Gavrilov, Ronan O’Hora, Rolf Plagge, Hui-Ying Liu-Tawastsjerna, Julian Martin and Frederic Ržewski.

Johan Randvere has successfully participated in numerous competitions in Estonia and abroad: Competition “Klaviermusik” in Vilnius, Lithuania 2008 (I prize and special prize), 10th EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association) competition in Waterloo, Belgum 2010 ( II prize), Competition for musicans in Catania 2012 ( I prize and a Grand Prix ), Competition “Luciano Luciani” in Italy 2013, ( III place), Competition “Coop” in Italy 2013 ( II prize ), Competition “Andrea Baldi” 2014 in Bologna ( I prize and a Grand Prix ). VIII Estonian National Pianists Competition ( II prize ). Johan was selected to be the “Musician of the year 2014” of the Pille Lill Music Fund.

Johan Randvere has given concerts in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy, Vatican, Belarus, Sweden, Germany, Finland, USA and Canada. He has performed as a soloist and as a chamber musician in all the main Estonian concert halls and such concert halls as The Grand Hall of Minsk Filharmony, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, Puccini hall in Milano among others.

He has performed together with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Vanemuise Symphony Orchestra, Belarus State Academic Radio Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Molodehno Music College among others.

He has worked with conductors such as Risto Joost, Paul Mägi, Sasha Mäkilä, Grigori Soroka, Jüri Alperten, Toomas Vavilov, Mihhail Gerts, Erki Pehk, Kaspar Mänd among others.

Kaspar Mänd
chief conductor of Pärnu City Orchestra since 2019 and conductor at the Estonian National Opera since 2014, has gained a reputation both in symphonic and operatic music.

Started as a choral conductor he founded the mixed choir HUIK! in 2009 which has achieved recognition by performing new music by young Estonian composers, as well as excelling in competitions home and abroad. He was named “Young Conductor of the Year” by the Estonian Choral Association twice (2013 and 2015) and conducted at the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration in 2014, 2017 and 2019.

In 2016 he founded “Uue Tänava Orkester” (New Str. Orchestra), leading them in performances of the complete cycles of symphonies by Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Since 2014 Kaspar Mänd has been working at the Estonian National Opera, conducting the world premiere of "A Nation born of Shock” by Manfred MIM, and premieres of “Romeo and Juliet” by Prokofiev, “Alice in Wonderland” by Tchaikovsky/Schiavoni, “Count Luxemburg” by Lehar, “Buratino” by Olav Ehala and “Karlsson on the Roof” by Tauno Aints. His repertoire includes operas “La traviata” and “Il trovatore” by Verdi, “Elisir d’amore” by Donizetti, “The Tsars Bride” by Rimsky-Korsakov, “Romeo and Juliet” by Gounod, “The long Christmas Dinner” by Hindemith, “The Colours of Clouds” by Rasmus Puur, the musical “West Side Story” by Bernstein and ballets “Swan Lake”, “The Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky, “Giselle” by Adam, “Medea” by Stravinski/Schiavoni, “The Goblin” by Tubin and others.

Kaspar Mänd has a special relationship with contemporary music and composers- he has collaborated with Erkki-Sven Tüür, Helena Tulve, Jüri Reinvere, Tatjana Kozlova, Tõnu Kõrvits, Ülo Krigul, Evelin Seppar, Rasmus Puur, Pärt Uusberg, Thierry Escaich, David Fennessy, Ruta Paldere and others. In May 2019 he conducted the final concert of ISCM World Music Days. He has performed as guest conductor of orchestras and collectives such as Ensemble Orchestral Kanazawa, Mskolc Symphony Orchestra, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra, YXUS Ensemble and others.

Kaspar Mänd studied choral and orchestral conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (prof. Hirvo Surva and prof. Paul Mägi) and received further training at the Paris Conservatory (CNSMDP, prof. Zsolt Nagy). He has participated in masterclasses by Neeme and Paavo Järvi, Leonid Grin, Eri Klas and Risto Joost.

This album contains no booklet.