The winner of the LHV New Composition Award Au-tasu was announced tonight at the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra concert in the Estonia Concert Hall as part of Estonian Music Days. Composer Jüri Reinvere and his work “Vom Sterben der Sterne” (2021) was recognised with the award of 6000 euros and a glass trophy designed by Mare Saare. Krõõt-Kärt Kaev received special recognition for her piece “Glimpses” (2021).
The nomination was open to individuals, collectives and organizations worldwide and this year the competition received a record number of 82 proposals. The Jury consisting of Tiia Teder, the chairwoman of the Jury (Klassikaraadio Editor in Chief), composer and conductor Rasmus Puur who won the last year’s prize, Kerri Kotta (chairman of Estonian Musicological Society), conductor and musician Andres Kaljuste and musician Taavi Kerikmäe selected the winner.
According to jury member Kerri Kotta, different traditions are intertwined in Jüri Reinvere’s work. “On one hand, the piece is characterized by a clear, almost neoclassical shape logic, although the image here is usually not a conventional motif, but rather a characteristic sonic and rhythmic complex, in which its musical inertia or potential to keep music moving plays an important role. This is accompanied by monumentality and the imagery of the Romantic era. The work seems to raise the question of the possibility of programmatic music in the 21st century, and is distinguished by the courage to convincingly fuse a unique musical material into one work.”
“Vom Sterben der Sterne. Symphonische Notizen für Orchester” (2021) was premiered by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. The work was commissioned by Bavarian Broadcasting’s contemporary music concert series “musica viva”. The concert took place on November 12 in the Hercules Hall in Munich.
In recent years, Reinvere has composed a number of major symphonic works that have been premiered in prestigious concert halls: …And Tired of Happiness, They Started to Dance (“… ja väsimus õnnest nad tantsima viis”, 2018, premiere by the Estonian Festival Orchestra and conductor Paavo Järvi), Before Leviathan Awakes (“Enne kui Leviaatan ärkab”, 2019, ENSO, Mihkel Kütson); Vom Sterben der Sterne. Symphonische Notizen für Orchester (2021, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Pablo Heras-Casado), Maria Anna, wach, im Nebenzimmer (2021, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, premiere in Bamberg; in December the same year, the composition was performed under the baton of Nelsons by the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Berliner Philharmonie); Das innere Meer (2021, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Pietari Inkinen).
Reinvere has received considerable acclaim for his exceptional oeuvre: the Annual Music Award of the Estonian Cultural Endowment (2000, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2020); the Culture Award of the Republic of Estonia (2015); the Enn Soosaar Essay Award (2017); the Music Award of the Estonian Music Council (2017); the Lepo Sumera Composition Award (2019); the Estonian Public Broadcasting Musician of the Year (2021).
The LHV New Composition Award Au-tasu appreciates new Estonian music and composers bringing the spotlight on contemporary works that attract wider attention and deserve to be introduced to international audiences. The award sponsored by the Estonian Composers’ Union and LHV since 2016 rewards valuable and high-quality creative work by Estonian classical music composers.