Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir is a monumental yet introspective work in which two choirs alternate and merge into a rich, almost timeless sound world. Martin composed the piece in 1922, then set it aside in a desk drawer, added a deeply moving Agnus Dei in 1926, and returned it to that same drawer. Only in 1963 was the Mass premiered, after which it grew into one of the most beloved choral works of the twentieth century.

Martin’s masterpiece is, of course, in perfect hands with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, one of the finest choirs in the world. Yet if there is one place where the ensemble, founded in 1981 by Tõnu Kaljuste, truly feels at home, it is in the choral music of their compatriots. Their collaboration with Arvo Pärt is iconic. His Which Was the Son of…, one of his most meditative choral works, will be performed. The music of Veljo Tormis also spread worldwide thanks to Kaljuste and his choir. Evelin Seppar represents a younger generation, giving a contemporary voice to Estonia’s rich choral tradition.

Program

Frank Martin (1890–1974)
Mass for Double Choir

Philip Glass (1937)
Father Death Blues (from the opera Hydrogen Jukebox)

Luciano Berio (1925–2003)
The Cries of London

Evelin Seppar (1986)
Iris

Veljo Tormis (1930–2017)
The Bishop and the Pagan (Piispa ja pakana)

Arvo Pärt (1935)
Which Was the Son of…