The 31st season of the Pärnu City Orchestra
The 31st season of the Pärnu City Orchestra begins with a concert titled Aavik & Brahms’ Third in its home venue, which will present exceptional works and promises to be a truly enjoyable musical experience.
On Friday 18 October at 19:00, everyone is invited to the festive opening concert at Pärnu Concert Hall. Internationally acclaimed pianist Irina Zahharenkova will perform as the soloist, and the orchestra’s new chief conductor, Henri Christofer Aavik, will assume the conductor’s podium.
The festive opening concert will feature masterpieces by renowned composers Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms and Arvo Pärt. Instrumental concerts by Bach are rare in modern symphonic programmes, but this evening will bring the home audience Bach’s Piano Concerto in D Minor, performed by the laureate of the Leipzig Bach Competition and Estonia’s most esteemed Bach interpreter, Irina Zahharenkova. In the second half of the concert, the audience will be treated to Brahms’ beautiful Symphony No. 3, performed by the expanded ensemble of the orchestra, a piece that has previously only been heard in Pärnu in performances by guest orchestras.
CLASSICAL MASTERPIECES, RHYTHMS AND NEW MUSICAL DISCOVERIES
There’s excitement in every concert.
The opening concert will be followed by a solo concert on 21 November by jazz pianist Kristjan Randalu, which is being held in collaboration with the Estonian Jazz Union to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
On the second Sunday of Advent, audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful evening of timeless Mozart works and serene holiday music. The soloists will be Maria Listra (soprano) and Raiko Raalik (bass), conducted by Henri Christofer Aavik.
On 11 January 2025, a special concert titled LAULU PIDU will celebrate the 60th birthday of beloved composer, pianist and music educator Piret Rips-Laul. The programme will feature a cross-section of the beloved composer’s works, performed by Hanna-Liina Võsa, Tõnis Sarap, Arete Kerge, Hans Christian Aavik and many other soloists, as well as choirs from Pärnu and Tallinn. The concert will bring together numerous musical ensembles on stage: four choirs and a symphony orchestra led by six different conductors throughout the evening. A piece specially composed for violin and orchestra will also be premiered.
On 25 January, the concert performance My First Concert will be staged for the youngest audiences. Directed by Ingrid Jasmin, the performance is created in collaboration with the Laine Mägi Dance School and Margrit Kits’ Singing Studio, with the orchestra conducted by its principal guest conductor Mikk Murdvee. The orchestral arrangements are by Riivo Jõgi.
On Valentine’s Day, 14 February, Reigo Ahven & Rhythms, the first concert of the interactive series The Art of Listening, will be held. The much-loved musician, educator and entertainer Reigo Ahven will introduce different types of rhythms, how our bodies perceive them and whether music can even exist without rhythm. This concert is aimed at middle and high school students, but a broader audience is warmly welcomed. This educational and exciting series will span three seasons.
After several years, the popular Request Concert will return. This engaging concert format allows the audience to select the pieces to be performed, ensuring a joyful and spontaneous atmosphere. The orchestra invites suggestions for requested pieces by 13 December to shape the programme for the concert on 15 March together. The artistic director for the concert is Maano Männi, concertmaster of Vaasa City Orchestra.
The Masterpieces series concert Murdvee & Beethoven’s Seventh on 24 April will bring to the audience one of the most beloved works of golden classical music — Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Mikk Murdvee has set the goal of performing all 9 symphonies of the great master with Pärnu City Orchestra. The programme will also include Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D major, KV 314, with the soloist being the 13-year-old Estonian flute virtuoso Minna Emilia Vürst, winner of the Young Talents Competition of the Kingdom of Denmark (2022).
The season will conclude on 13 May with the Hans Christian Aavik & Sibelius concert from the Masterpieces series. The concert will open with the premiere of a new work composed specifically for the season finale by Madli Marje Gildemann. The highlight of the evening will be Hans Christian Aavik’s performance of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto. The world-renowned record label Deutsche Grammophon has included Aavik in its Rising Star programme, and the first release has already been issued. The concert will also pay homage to the Estonian symphonist Eduard Tubin on the 120th anniversary of his birth by presenting his 7th Symphony, which stands at the pinnacle of musical history.
EXCLUSIVE NOËP AND PÄRNU CITY ORCHESTRA CONCERT ON PÄRNU DAY
In collaboration with Pärnu City Government, PÄRNU DAY will traditionally be celebrated at the beginning of April. On Saturday, 5 April 2025, there will be a special concert of popular music where the audience can enjoy NOËP’s popular songs in orchestral arrangements.
“Whether you are a lover of timeless classics, a jazz and pop enthusiast, a vocal music admirer or a rare visitor to the concert hall — everyone is welcome to share the joy of live music with us.”
During the season, the Pärnu audience can look forward to an array of exciting and diverse concerts.
