Schönberg series. Versions

The history of music could also be seen as a history of versions of musical material. Although a musical work is born in a moment, it never stays unchanged: it lives on through each new generation's changing understanding of what music is and through the renewal of the context in which it is performed. In the concert project Versions, Repoo Ensemble brings together new interpretations of Andrus Kallastu's early, forceful neoclassical works and the intimately filigree, poetic musical language of Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes.

Programme:
Andrus Kallastu (1967) Nahakaupleja Pontus, ballad for voice and piano (1989), version for voice and chamber ensemble (2026)
Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes (1977) Kirjad for soprano and viola (2014), version for soprano and cello (2025)
Andrus Kallastu Tropus rhetoricus for flute and cello (2025, premiere)
Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes Vee killud for soprano, violin and flute (2008), version for soprano, cello and flute (2026)
Andrus Kallastu Muusikat Tallinn Cameratale for flute, violin and guitar (1991), version for flute, cello and piano (2026)

Nahakaupleja Pontus is a dark-toned tale, and its arrangement for chamber ensemble gives it further dramatic depth: the ensemble's timbres bring out the tragicomic character of the title figure and the eerie atmosphere of the place where it unfolds.

Muusikat Tallinn Cameratale, although it belongs to Kallastu's earlier period, carries the composer's aesthetic search for the new in the early 1990s. The work is built on concentrated musical gestures and a transparent texture. Movement and balance between different timbres are central to it.

Kallastu's new work Tropus rhetoricus for flute and cello unfolds as a dialogue between two self-assured debaters, full of intricate musical puns, dance-like gestures and intellectual sharpness.

In Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes's Kirjad an intimate and fragile micro-drama unfolds, in which the human voice and the instrument are like two shadows that sometimes merge and sometimes stay apart. The cello, in place of the original version's viola, brings a softer, darker colour to the work and so gives it new breath.

Vee killud, from Kozlova-Johannes's early work, is like an aquarelle in sound, in which the flicker, shimmer and flow of evening light are gently reflected through damp treetops.

Kai Kallastu

Soprano Kai Kallastu earned a master's degree as a classical singer at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland, and has taken part in numerous masterclasses. She has performed as a chamber singer, as a soloist in large-scale works and as a music theatre artist with various ensembles and in various countries. Her repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to contemporary music, and she has given the first performances of experimental vocal works by several composers. Intensive creative work links her with her husband, the composer and conductor Andrus Kallastu, with whom she has performed dozens of vocal programmes.

Leonora Palu

Leonora Palu is an Estonian flautist and poet who has given concerts with various orchestral and chamber music line-ups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Japan. Her ensemble partners have included Age Juurikas, Irina Zahharenkova, Jorma Toots, Kristo Käo, Kirill Ogorodnikov, Repoo Ensemble, Hans Christian Aavik, Ines Maidre and many others. Palu is principal flute of the Pärnu City Orchestra and often appears as a soloist with it, most recently in Malle Maltis's flute concerto. She frequently performs contemporary music and has taken part in the premieres of works by many Estonian composers. As a member of the free improvisation ensemble “Rooluulend”, Leonora Palu has performed with Indrek Palu, Jaan Luulur Malin and Roomet Jakapi, and has released the CD “Kuhu ma vajutan?”. She performs regularly in the concert series “Heli ja Keel”, which presents the music and literary art of Estonian authors. Leonora Palu has published music criticism in the magazine Muusika, and concert reviews and opinion pieces in the cultural weekly Sirp. As a poet she has published three collections, and her poems have also appeared in the magazines Looming and Vikerkaar. In 2020 Leonora Palu received the City of Pärnu creative award for her work as a performer, poet and organiser of literary events.

Aare Tammesalu

Cellist Aare Tammesalu works as a soloist and chamber musician, performing both the classical repertoire and contemporary music. He is also an active concert organiser. His work has been recognised with the annual awards of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Estonian Music Council, a special jury prize of the Estonian Theatre Union and the Hendrik Krumm cultural award. In February 2023 Saaremaa Rural Municipality gave Aare Tammesalu the “Deed of the Year 2022” award for organising the Mustjala festival, and in 2023 the council of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church honoured him with the title “Friend of the Church of the Year”.

Andrus Kallastu

Composer and conductor Andrus Kallastu studied at the Tallinn Conservatory (now the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre) and at the Sibelius Academy, and has worked freelance since 2000. Several of Kallastu's works speak of an interest in combining music with other art forms and in performance. As a performer and artistic director of projects, Kallastu's interest is often tied to music theatre. Besides traditional music theatre work, his aim is to develop specific areas of music theatre: mystery-like sacred composition and the visualised concert.

Tickets
Regular ticket 20.00 euros
Concession ticket (dependants and pensioners) 10.00 euros
Student ticket (pupils and students) 5.00 euros

Credits

Repoo Ensemble

Kai Kallastu (soprano), Leonora Palu (flute), Aare Tammesalu (cello), Andrus Kallastu (piano)

In collaboration with

Estonian Arnold Schönberg Society, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School of Tallinn University, Pärnu Opera, Autorfest, Estonian Centre of Contemporary Music, Tallinn Music City, Estonian Cultural Endowment, City of Pärnu