AFEKT International Contemporary Music Festival
Text Stewart Johnson Photo Priit Grepp
Arvo Pärt
Estonia’s 24th annual AFEKT International Contemporary Music Festival will take place in three cities on three different sets of dates. The theme of this year’s festival is “Zwei Gefühle”, which is inspired by Helmut Lachenmann’s work of the same name. The festival itself will be a celebration of Lachenmann’s and Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthdays, both of whom are living legends. AFEKT is a festival that honours the works of contemporary composers.
AFEKT will also perform music by Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez, in honour of their 100th birthdays.
AFEKT’s November events in Tallinn and Tartu will consist of ten concerts divided by these two main cities, first Tallinn:
- 24 October—Estonia Concert Hall;
- 25 October—two concerts in the Tallinn Writers House, Black Ceiling Hall;
- 26 October—two concerts, one in the EMTA Chamber Hall, and one in the EMTA “black box”;
- 28 October—Tallinn Writers House, Black Ceiling Hall.
The Tartu concerts are as follows:
- 26 October—Aparaaditehas, Biblioteek;
- 27 October—two concerts in Aparaaditehas, Biblioteek;
- 28 October—University of Tartu Assembly Hall.
The concerts of AFEKT will of course also include works by other composers, both Estonian and international. Music will be performed by various ensembles and soloists, including the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, several world premieres by several composers will also take place. In a nutshell, if you are a fan of contemporary and classical music, this is an excellent chance to witness some great performances of modern music history, as well as witness history in the making.
There will be followup concerts in Tapa on 25 November, and in Tallinn on 5 December. The full schedule of concerts as well as more information, including repertoires, are available here.
To learn more about this and similar topicsArvo Pärt Concert Contemporary Music ERSO Estonian National Symphony Orchestra Events in Tallinn Tapa Tartu
