MURDVEE & BEETHOVEN’S NINTH
Wednesday, 17 March 2027 at 19:00
Mikk Murdvee, conductor
Soloists: Kristel Pärtna, soprano; Tuuri Dede, mezzo-soprano; Mati Turi, tenor; Raiko Raalik, bass
Choirs from Pärnu and Tallinn
Programme:
Richard Wagner – ‘Good Friday Music’ from the opera Parsifal (1882)
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (1824)
The Beethoven symphony cycle, launched in 2016, reaches its grand finale, with leading Estonian singers appearing as soloists with Pärnu City Orchestra and choirs from both Pärnu and Tallinn joining forces. The concert — and the approaching Easter season — will be introduced by Wagner’s ‘Good Friday Music’ from his final opera Parsifal.
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Mikk Murdvee serves as Principal Guest Conductor of Pärnu City Orchestra.
Murdvee is regularly conducting the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, and has conducted also the Philharmonic Orchestras of Helsinki, Tampere and Turku, the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, the Kuopio, Jyväskylä, Vaasa, Joensuu, Lappeenranta, Pori, Seinäjoki and Kemi City Orchestras, the Symphony Orchestras of the London Royal College of Music, Sibelius Academy and Metropolia, the Southbank Sinfonia of London and many others.
During 2011 he worked as Assistant to Esa-Pekka Salonen in several projects with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
World premiere recording of Ernst Mielck’s cantatas and ouvertures with the Helsinki University SO for the Toccata Classics label and world premiere recordings of many Estonian composer’s music with Tallinn Chamber Orchestra.
Mikk made his much acclaimed debut with the Estonian National Opera in 2007 conducting Lövenskiold’s “La Sylphide” and returned the same year to conduct other performances including Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” and Rossini’s “La Cenerentola”. He has also worked with the Lohja, Pori and Kerava Operas and as an Assistant Conductor in the Tampere Opera.
He is also praised for making many new editions of orchestral works including Ernst Mielck’s Macbeth Ouverture and Finnish Suite as well as Aarre Merikanto’s Savannah-la-Mar and Ester Mägi’s “Kalevipoja teekond Soome”.
Apart from conducting, he is internationally sought after as violin soloist, concert master, chamber music partner and teacher.
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For over three decades, Pärnu City Orchestra has enriched the cultural landscape of Pärnu as the only professional symphony orchestra in the Western Estonia region. This musical ensemble, which unites the community, has created a diverse cultural space and offers unique experiences to audiences in both Pärnu and across Estonia. The orchestra brings together talented musicians from Pärnu, forming a dynamic community known for its flexibility and stylistic versatility.
The orchestra is dedicated to promoting Estonian music as well as premiering and recording new works every year. Long-term collaborations with various concert organisations and internationally renowned musicians have made it a foremost ensemble in Estonia’s music scene.
The chief conductor of Pärnu City Orchestra is Henri Christofer Aavik, who received the 2022 Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s Annual Award in Music and is part of a younger generation of Estonian conductors. He has also gained attention as a laureate of the 5th Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition and the 8th International Jorma Panula Conducting Competition. Furthermore, he has conducted numerous renowned ensembles, including the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the 18th Century Orchestra (Amsterdam), Sinfonia Rotterdam, Staatskapelle Weimar, Jena Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestra Senzaspine (Bologna). /
