Repertoire
Motto
The motto of the 27th Song Celebration and the 20th Dance Celebration is My Native Land, My Dearest Love. It comes from a patriotic poem written by the much loved Estonian poet Lydia Koidula. The lyrics were sung at the first Song Celebration 150 years ago and they have since become the Song Celebration anthem, where the audience joins in, standing. It is an expression of our love for Estonia.
The first Song Celebration was held at a time when Estonia had not yet achieved its independence and education in Estonian was only available at primary schools. Today, however, we are preparing for the 27th Song Celebration and the 20th Dance Celebration, Estonia has become a model of a successful e-government and recently celebrated her centenary.
The tradition of Song and Dance Celebrations brings together the entire country: whole generations from grandparents to grandchildren meet on the massive stage and almost half the population watches the concerts and shows.
Why is the Song and Dance Celebration so important to us? Because it is related to how much we love our home, our traditions and our language. We are a small nation and we wish to come together time and again to admire the countless variations of our colourful national costumes brightening up the huge stage of the Song Celebration or swirling around at the Dance Celebration. We wish to come together to pay homage to the spirit of our forefathers. We wish to come together at the Song Celebration and to sing together: “The land of my fathers, the land that I love, I will never abandon her”.
To the Teacher
Song Celebration Opening Concert
on Saturday, 6 July at 7 p.m.
at the Song Festival Grounds
Joint choirs
Mihkel Lüdig / Friedrich Kuhlbars Dawn
Fredrik Pacius / Johann Voldemar Jannsen National Anthem: My Native Land, My Joy, Delight
Gustav Ernesaks / Betti Alver To the Listener
Select choirs and professional orchestras
Friedrich August Saebelmann / Peeter Ruubel The Most Beautiful Songs (male choir, female choir, mixed choir)
A Latvian folk song, arr. Jānis Cimze Rīga dimd / Riga resounds (mixed choir, sung in Latvian)
Aleksander Läte / Ado Reinvald Sailing Home (male choir)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Procession of the Nobles from the opera-ballet Mlada (professional wind ensemble)
Eduard Tamm Jolly Shrovetide in St Petersburg (professional wind ensemble)
Rudolf Tobias / Psalm 42 As the hart panteth after the water brooks (mixed choir)
Artur Lemba, arr. Ülo Krigul A Poem of Love (professional symphony orchestra)
Eduard Tubin / Erika Tubin Night Shepherds’ choir from the ballet The Goblin (female choir)
Eino Tamberg / Jaan Kross Cadets’ choir from the opera Cyrano de Bergerac (male choir)
Arvo Pärt / Eno Raud Our Garden Part 1 (children’s choir)
Eugen Kapp Forging of Swords from the ballet Kalevipoeg / Son of Kalev (professional symphony orchestra)
Villem Kapp / Juhan Sütiste As a Summer’s Day Draws to a Close (a solo)
Artur Kapp / Karl Eduard Sööt, Eduard Wöhrmann You Are the Summer of My Heart (male choir)
Ester Mägi / Vladimir Beekman Only for a Moment (female choir)
Mart Saar / folklore Sing, Young Brothers (mixed choir)
Veljo Tormis / Livonian folklore Sang the Father, Sang the Son (male choir, female choir, mixed choir)
Tõnu Kõrvits May Jesus Now Be Praised Part 1 from Kreek’s Notebook (female choir)
Cyrillus Kreek Sanctus from Requiem (male choir, female choir, mixed choir)
Heino Eller Estonian Melody (professional symphony orchestra)
Evald Aav / Anna Haava We Are Children of the North (male choir, female choir, mixed choir)
Sing-along with select choirs
Tauno Aints / Urve Tinnuri Nobody is Alone (male choir, female choir, mixed choir, children’s choir)
Karl August Hermann, arr. Raimo Kangro, Kristo Matson I Sing Leaves onto Trees from the opera Uku and Vanemuine (male choir, female choir, mixed choir, children’s choir)
Karl August Hermann / Friedrich Kuhlbars Once Upon a Time in the Land of Kungla (male choir, female choir, mixed choir, children’s choir)
Music director Siim Selis
County pre-rehearsals were carried out by: Aarne Saluveer, Andrus Siimon, Ants Soots, Elo Üleoja, Heli Jürgenson, Hirvo Surva, Ingrid Kõrvits, Ingrid Roose, Kuno Kerge, Maarja Soone, Mikk Üleoja, Olari Elts, Peeter Perens, Raul Talmar, Triin Koch, Veronika Portsmuth.
175 select choirs with 6559 singers
take part in the concert
The choirs have been prepared and
tutored by 199 conductors
Orchestras:
Orchestra of the Defence Forces
Police and Border Guard Orchestra
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra,
concertmaster Arvo Leibur
Texts Ott Kilusk and Kaili Viidas;
Sound director of recorded texts Külli Tüli,
Stage director Kaili Viidas,
Readers of the text Peeter Tammearu and Karin Tammaru
Voice Priit Loog
Light portraits Andres Tenusaar
Sound engineer Tanel Klesment,
consultant Tammo Sumera
Sound technical services Eventech
The concert ends approximately at 11 p.m.
Song Celebration “My Fatherland is My Love”
on Sunday, 7 July at 2 p.m.
at the Song Festival Grounds
Children’s choir
Karl August Hermann Singers’ Greeting
Kadri Voorand / Virve Osila A Song about Luck
Sakarias Leppik / folklore from Kihnu island, choral arr. Kadri Hunt Mary’s Gold
Rasmus Puur / Hando Runnel The Land that I Love
Wind Orchestra
Riivo Jõgi To You, Estonia
Mart Siimer, arranged for this Song Celebration by Mati Põdra Wake Up, Zither and Harp
Ott Kask Three pieces for Estonian national instruments A Slave’s Bagpipe Waltz / Tsirgu Liisa / A piece from John the Bagpiper
Tõnis Kõrvits It’s Summertime Again A medley of summer songs by Estonian composers
Young Children’s Select Choir
Riho Päts / folklore, arr. Riho Esko-Maimets A Song of Joy
Helin-Mari Arder / Olivia Saar A World Smiling with Dimples
Olav Ehala / Juhan Viiding Pinocchio’s Song
Siiri Siimer / Mihkel Veske You are so beautiful, my native land
Female Choir
Mari Amor / Villem Grünthal-Ridala As the Sun Rises
Henry Laks, arr. Ene Uibo The Sun
Lembit Veevo / Juhan Liiv A Summer Breeze
A folk-song from the Seto region / folklore, arranged for band Zetod by Kristjan Priks, arranged for female choir by Kristel Laas Kergotamine (A playful fertility song for the summer)
Symphony Orchestra
Jonas Tarm The Sun is Singing
Tõnu Kõrvits To the Sun
Villem Kapp Symphony no. 2 in C Minor, Part 3 Allegro
Ülo Krigul Echo of a Bell
Joint Orchestra
Ardo Ran Varres An Estonian Fairytale
Boys’ Choir
Arvo Pärt / Vladimir Beekman The Song of the Atom Boy
Priit Pajusaar / Leelo Tungal Sportsmen’s Song from the musical Detective Lotte
Boys’ Choir and Male Choir
Gustav Ernesaks / Leili Andre Who Planted the Oak?
Andres Lemba / Jaanus Vaiksoo Grandfather
Kadri Hunt / Leelo Tungal The Call of the Sea
Male Choir
Riho-Esko Maimets / Ernst Enno My Love
Tõnis Kaumann Let´s Do It
Uno Loop, arr. Andres Lemba Fathers and Sons
Mixed Choir
Hain Hõlpus / folklore A Zither
Tõnu Kõrvits / Doris Kareva A Song about the Mother Tongue
Eino Tamberg / Juhan Liiv To the Land of my Fathers
Kadri Voorand / Triin Soomets Hold On to Me
Joint Choir
Miina Härma / Ferdinand Karlson Tuljak (A Village Party)
Tõnis Mägi, arr. Tõnis Kõrvits You are so beautiful, my native land
Pärt Uusberg / Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Juhan Liiv, folklore The Winds of Eternity
Peep Sarapik / Juhan Liiv Like a Homing Bee
Gustav Ernesaks / Lydia Koidula My Native Land, My Dearest Love
Artistic director Peeter Perens
Assistants of artistic director Siim Selis and Ave Sopp
Conductors:
Young children’s choir: Maret Alango (general conductor),
Annelii Traks, Jaanika Kuusik, Vilve Maide
Children’s choir: Maarja Soone (general conductor),
Elo Üleoja, Ingrid Kõrvits, Mai Simson
Boys’ choir: Hirvo Surva (general conductor),
Indrek Vijard, Kuldar Schüts, Lydia Rahula
Male choir: Mikk Üleoja (general conductor),
Kuno Kerge, Peeter Perens, Ülle Tuisk
Female choir: Raul Talmar (general conductor),
Andrus Siimon, Ingrid Roose, Külli Kiivet
Mixed choir: Triin Koch (general conductor),
Heli Jürgenson, Rasmus Puur, Valter Soosalu
Wind orchestra: Bert Langeler (general conductor),
Tarmo Kivisilla, Peeter Saan, Peeter Änilane
Symphony orchestra: Hando Põldmäe (general conductor),
Jüri-Ruut Kangur, Kaspar Mänd, Riivo Jõgi
Participants in the celebration:
1,020 choirs and orchestras, 32,411 singers and
musicians; choirs and orchestras have been tutored by
809 conductors
Accompanying orchestra:
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre Symphony
orchestra, concertmaster Toomas Ellervee
Accompaniment ensemble:
Rain Rämmal (keyboard instruments), Paul Daniel (guitar),
Mihkel Mälgand (bass guitar, double bass),
Andrus Lillepea (percussion instruments )
Texts: Ott Kilusk and Kaili viidas
Memories of song celebrations selected by
Ott Kilusk and Kaili Viidas together with the Estonian
Theatre and Music Museum, and the Song Celebration’s
Museum.
Sound engineer Külli Tüli,
Stage director Kaili Viidas,
Readers of the texts: Ago Anderson, Arabella Anderson, Argo Aadli, Carmen Mikiver, Eva Koldits, Gert Raudsepp, Hans-Martti Mägar, Ingrid Isotamm, Indrek Taalmaa, Ireen Kennik, Jane Napp, Kaili Viidas, Karin Tammaru, Lii Tedre, Liis Karpov, Ott Raidmets, Paul Samuel Vihmar, Selina Lebin, Sten Karpov, Tambet Seling
Voices: Maiken Schmidt and Priit Loog
Desing of the song festival grounds Martin Rästa,
Karin Bachmann, Mirko Traks
Sound engineer
Tanel Klesment, consultant Tammo Sumera
Sound technical services: Eventec
The concert ends approximately at 9 p.m.