Artur Lemba's Piano Concerto No. 1 was originally a vehicle for him to demonstrate his own pianistic virtuosity.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Estonian composers, including Mihkel Lüdig, favored quoting folk tunes or creating folk-like melodies to emphasize their ethnic identity.
Performer Biography
Neeme Järvi, the conductor on this album, has amassed a discography of nearly 500 recordings and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Gramophone magazine in 2018.
Historical Context
The roots of Estonian symphonic music are in St. Petersburg, as the St. Petersburg Conservatory served as the alma mater for numerous Estonian musicians.
Composition History
Artur Kapp's Symphony No. 4, or 'Youth Symphony,' earned him a Stalin Prize, second-class, in 1950.
Composer Biography
Artur Kapp, one of the featured composers, studied organ and composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he was taught by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Notable Performances
The premiere of Artur Lemba's Piano Concerto No. 1 featured the teenage Sergey Prokofiev as a percussionist in the orchestra.
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