Dance Of Life - Tallinn Mass CD

DANCE OF LIFE Tallinn Mass Words: Doris Kareva & Jürgen Rooste Music: Roxanna Panufnik English translation adapted by Jessica Duchen For soprano solo, narrator, double choir SSA & SSATBB, percussion, Kannel (or harp) and strings. TRACKS ACT I KYRIE 1. Preacher/Jutleja, Chorus (Kyrie), orchestra 2. Preacher/Jutleja, Chorus, orchestra 3. Life/Elu, Chorus (Kyrie), orchestra 4. Beggar/Kerjus, orchestra 5. Life/Elu, Chorus, orchestra 6. Spy/Nuhk, orchestra 7. Life/Elu, Chorus (Kyrie), orchestra ACT II GLORIA 8. Mayor/Linnapea, Chorus 9. Life/Elu, Chorus (Gloria), orchestra ACT III CREDO 10. Banker/Pankur, orchestra 11. Life/Elu, Chorus (Credo) , orchestra ACT IV SANCTUS & BENEDICTUS 12. Life/Elu, orchestra 13. Prostitute/Prostituut, orchestra 14. Life/Elu, Chorus (Sanctus & Benedictus) , orchestra ACT V AGNUS DEI 15. Life/Elu, orchestra 16. Ad Man/Reklaamimees, Chorus, orchestra 17. Life/Elu, Chorus (Agnus Dei) , orchestra ACT VI ITE, MISSA EST! 18. Preacher/Jutleja, Chorus (Kyrie reprise) orchestra 19. Life/Elu, Chorus, orchestra www.tallinnmass.com PERFORMERS Life/Elu Patricia Rozario Narrator Jaak Johanson Kannel Laura Lindpere Percussion Madis Metsamart Conductor Mihhail Gerts Musical Advisor Eri Klas Choirmasters Aarne Saluveer†, Endrik Üksvärav* Estonian TV Girls’ Choir† Collegium Musicale Chamber Choir* Choir of Estonian Academy of Music & Theatre* TALLINN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA CREDITS Executive Producer Heili Vaus-Tamm Producer, Sound Engineer & Editor Philip Rowlands Assistant Sound Engineer Tanel Klesmet Choral trainers Aarne Saluveer†, Endrik Üksvärav* Photography Sven Tupit Video Tanel Ehala & Phil Rowlands Recorded at Estonian National Radio Studio 1, Tallinn 23rd – 26th May 2013 DANCE OF LIFE Tallinn Mass – Composer’s note In 2009, the Tallinn Philharmonic asked me if I’d write them a “Tallinn Mass” to celebrate their ascension to European Capital of Culture, in 2011. They wanted to juxtapose the conventional mass movements, in Latin, with ten new poems by their two leading poets, Doris Kareva and Jürgen Rooste – in Estonian. So poor was my knowledge of the country, I remember thinking that, as it was not so far from my semi-native Poland, the language must have some similarities. By the time I started to compose, ten poems had turned into nineteen and the possibly-familiar language had turned out to be from the beautiful but seemingly impenetrable Finno-Ugric family. I found myself working from two different translations (a general one and a word-for-word one – to make sure I didn’t make a big musical deal of articles and prepositions!), a pitch and rhythmic transcription that I made from a recording of poets Doris and Jürgen reciting their words – and of course, the Estonian text. Why am I telling you all this when this version you’re about to hear is in English? Because I would like you to know just how deeply I immersed myself in the intensely beautiful verbal and folkloric sound-world of Estonia – to the point that I (quite disloyally) felt more Estonian than Polish or English! I even began to dream in this glacial, tricking, stream-like language. Now that I have spent a good deal of time in Tallinn, the Dance of Life friends I’ve made through this project have become like family, especially Heili Vaus-Tamm, whose idea this all was.