Birgitta Festival: A Highlight of Tallinn’s Summer

Text Susanna Poikela
Photo Tallinna Filharmoonia

The annual Birgitta Festival is one of the highlights of the summer in Tallinn. Held in the medieval ruins of Pirita Monastery and the Tallinn Methodist Church, the festival’s historic setting adds a unique atmosphere to the event. The festival attracts music lovers from both Estonia and abroad and is named after Saint Bridget, who founded Pirita Monastery in the 15th century.

This year’s programme is diverse and exciting. The festival opens on 1 and 2 August with Claudio Monteverdi’s baroque opera “Orpheus”, which explores themes of loss and faithful love. Completed in 1607, the opera is one of the oldest still regularly performed today.

On Monday, 5 August, the festival features the opera “Cyrano de Bergerac” by Estonian composer Eino Tamberg, which will transport the audience to 17th-century Paris. This opera is regarded as one of the most successful and beautiful Estonian operas of the 20th century and is internationally recognised. It tells the story of a brave and witty soldier, a loyal friend, and a tender-hearted lover whose words are as sharp as his sword.

On Saturday, 6 August, Tallinn Methodist Church will host Olli Kortekangas’ church opera “End and Beginning”, set in a concentration camp. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German thinker and theologian who opposed Nazism and participated in the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, is the inspiration for this production. The opera is based on Bonhoeffer’s book “Letters from Prison”, incorporating his poems, letters, and notes written before his martyrdom in the concentration camp.

On Monday, 8 August, Estonian ensemble Kadri Voorand, vocal group Estonian Voices, and the VHK String Orchestra will perform songs about love, hope, and nature. The concert will feature arrangements by Rasmus Puur, Tõnu Kõrvits, and Ülo Krigul from Estonian Voices’ album “Kalleimale” and Kadri Voorand’s new album “Ma olen siin”.

The festival will conclude with a grand performance of the Pirita Mass, where soloists, the Tallinn Philharmonic Orchestra, and a choir of 200 singers will present Arthur Honegger’s oratorio “Death and the Dancer” and Margo Kõlar’s “Pirita Mass”. Soloists include Andrea Lauren Brown (soprano), Kai Rüütel-Pajula (mezzo-soprano), and Alvar Tiisler (bass), with Lembit Peterson as the reader.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Brigittan Festival Tallinn Claudio Monteverdi Orpheus Concerts in Tallinn Estonia Events in Estonia Events in Tallinn Pirita Monastery Tallinn Methodist Church