This album is part of the first-ever recording project of the complete piano works of Heino Eller, which is also the performer Sten Lassmann's PhD project.
Composer Biography
Heino Eller had a pedagogical career spanning half a century, teaching composition at the Tallinn Conservatory and educating several generations of Estonian composers, including Eduard Tubin, Arvo Pärt, and Lepo Sumera.
Critical Reception
The reception of Heino Eller's music changed radically during his lifetime: from being seen as Estonia's chief modernist in the 1920s and '30s, he acquired the status of a national classic by the end of the 1950s in Soviet Estonia.
Composer Biography
Heino Eller, a central figure in Estonian classical music, studied in St Petersburg from 1907 to 1920, witnessing one of history's most radical revolutions.
Cultural Impact
Heino Eller's 'Kodumaine viis' ('Homeland Tune') for string orchestra holds a symbolic status in Estonian culture, similar to Sibelius' 'Finlandia' for the Finns.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Heino Eller's music is distinguished by its austere expression, original use of modal harmony, and mastery of polyphonic texture, being largely lyrical with occasional epic undertones and gentle humour.
Composer Biography
Heino Eller's wife, Anna Kremer, a Warsaw Jewess who studied piano, was likely the first performer and critic of his compositions before she was killed by the Nazis in 1942.
