Neeme Jdri is Principal Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Musical Director of the Scottish National Orchestra. He was botn in Tallinn, Estonia. in 1937 and studied at the Tallinn Music School and later at the Leningrad State Conseroatory with Rabinovich md Mravinsky. He made his conducting debut at the age of 18 in a concert performance of Strauss's "Eine Nacht in Venedig" md in 1963 became director of the Estonian Radio and Television Orchestra and of the Tallinn Opera. He lvon first Ijrize at the international conducting competition in Rome in 1971, which led to invita- tions to conduct major orchestras throughout the world. In 1980 Neeme Jiiwi emigrated to the U.S.A. and ever since then he has worked extensively both with the leading orchestras in the Western world and in prominent opera houses. Dudng the 1978-9 season he made his Metropolitan Opera debut with "Eugene Onegin". With the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra he has been involved with tous to Germany and. in March 1987, to the U,S.A. and Far East. He is engaged in recording projects of the complete orchestra-l music of Sibelius, Stenhmmar and Tubin for the BIS label. Kerstin Lundin studied singing with Ingrid Maria Rappe (founder of Sweden's Vadstena Academy). She is best known as an oratorio slnger (Southern Sweden, Denmak and Norway) but is also a concert singer (Malmii Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Sym- phony Orchestra) and a lieder singer (Netherlmds, Sweden). Lund's Student Choral Society dates its origins from 1831 and is now one of Sweden's oldest choirs. Since 1972 the choir's artistic directol has been Folke Bohlin. During re- cent years, activity has increaed and the repertoire has been extended. Besides its regu- Iar performances in Lund (including the May Day concert from the university steps, broadcast and televised) and appearances throughout Sweden, the choir has made con- cert tours of Poland, Britain. SwitzerlaDd, France and the Nordic countries, including Iceland. The Gothenbug Symphony Orchestra, one of the oldest in Scandinavia. wro founded in 19o5. within a short period the composer, piardst and conductor Wilhelm Stenhammar won the orchestra a leading position in Scmdinavim musical life. Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen made frequent guest appearances conducting their own works. Tor Mann and Issay Dobrowen continued the tradition. The principal conductors in recent yeils have been Sergiu Comisiona, Sixten Ehrling and Chaies Dutoit. Other famous conductors who have made guest appearances with the orchestra include Bruno Walter. Wilhelm Futwiingler, Edch Kleiber, Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Malcolrn Sargent, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Georg Solti, Herbert von Karajan md Zubin Mehta. Since autum 1982 the chief conductor has been the highy sought-after Estonian Neeme Jd.rvi. We gratefully ack.nowledgethe support towards the cost of this production from the Eduard Tubin Society in Sweden, Bruno & Helge Laan, Hendrih Leesment, Eriha Andreas, Heino J6gis, Marje & Rein Luih. Tubin startedto composehis Requiemin 1950 but in the middle of the secondmovement he sudd- enly ceared writing. It rvasnot until nineteen ]'eils later that he continued with the work and he fin- ishedjt on 17 August 1979. The poem "Greetings"forms the basisof the first movement. It was written by Henrik Visnapuu (born 1890-died in NervYork 1951)during theEstonianwuofindependenceinl9l9. Organand timpani begin the melancholyfuneral music and the choir sings: "How fine to die still young". In - the middle of the movementcomes a note of some consolation: " those who are left will live in freedonr". Estoniabecame an independentcount4 until 1940. The first movementis in someways conrparable\rith the classic.Req uie m aeternam. 'fhe secondnrorement's "A Soldier'sFuneral" (Henrik Visnapuu)was written in 1944 at a much hardertime: this time it proved impossiblefor the Estoniansto achievelreedom betweentwo mighty poners. The dramaticmusical language of the Pcond movementis reminiscentof a Dies irae' The third movement. "The Soldier'sIIother" is for plo contralto. The poem by Marie Under (born 1883.died in Stockholm1980) isfrom 19-12.Themusicallanguage isheremoreintimate-a mother talks to her son who ison leavefrom the battle-fieldbut who must return. The text of the fourth movement,"Lilac" (Henrik Visnapuu),again dates from 1919. The poet contrastsboughs of lilacwith riflesand war. The fifth movement beginswith a lengthy trumpet slo and the choir repeatsthe text and music of the first morement though in an aliered form. Here again one can find parallels to the classicalre- quiem. At the end one hears the trumpet play some notes from the Estonian folksong "Beneath the wise man'slodging". Tubin saidhimself in this connectionthat the dying pldier's lastthoughts go to thos at home. The Requiem was first performed on 17 IIay 1981 in Stockholm'sHedvig EleonoraChurch with rhe composerconducting. Those partjcipatingwere Stockholm'sEstonian Male Choir, IleanaPeter- sn (contralto),I{ark Falsjci(organ), Torben Rehnberg(trumpet), Seppo Asikainen(side-drum) and Richad Sundstedt(timpani). This wasEduard Tubin's lastappearance as a conductor. Eduard Tubin was born on 18th June 1905 at Kallaste on Lake Peipus in Estonia. He receivedhis mu' sical education at the Tartus Musical High School, where he passedihrough Heino Eller's composition class. In the autumn of 1944 he and his family fled to Sweden, and he lived in Stockholm until his deathon 17th November1982. Tubin,s Tenth Symphony was commisioned by the Gothenburg Orchestral Society. Tubin stdted work on it on 1Oth Jinuary 1g?3 and three months later, on 4th April, it was ready. "As I was in a huny, the symphony has only one movement," the composer commented half in jest. But this one movement contiins in truth the elementsof four movements fused together into a singleunity. The Tenth symphony starts with a melancholy Adagio from the strings (l). Their forwad motion is interupted Uy u n"rri call (II), which returns later. Piltly this call forms a contrast to the strings' sentimentality and languor, and partly it links the separate"moyements". I'rom the call chords often 'lhe develop which accompany the themes themselves,and also certain rhythmic motifs. oboe pre" sents the third theme (III) accompanied by the second violins and violas. In the last two bars we find m oboe decoration (a) which will asume great significancelater. From the Adagio, a timpani accelerandoleads to the main part of the work - Allegro molto ma energico. This starts with violent chords from the trombones and tuba, showing some resemblanceto the horn calls earlier.These chords ale then taken over by the clarinets, bassoons,violas and cellos. The first theme of the classicalsonata-form allegro is given to the violins (V), and later to the full orchestra. A horn solo leads to a lyrical episode where the following musical material (VI) is develo- ped. The oboe returns with its decoration. which is then passedto the full orchestra. In the development we hear first the main theme (V), which then appears in an energetic and powerful form (VII). It is accompanied by the syncopated rhythm from the lyrical episode. The dotted rhythm of the horn call (II) is recalled in the strings' mysteriously coloured ostinato (VIII). To this accompaniment we hear again the powerful theme (VII), now solidly with extended note- values (IX). The horn call (II) leads on from the development, this time played by the whole bras section except the tuba. Now comes the reprise, at the end of which we hetr the oboe decoration (a), now played first by the flute, then the oboe and finally by the full orchestra. After a major subsidenceTubin basesthe entire scherzo (X) upon the apparently insignificant oboe decoration (a). After a lyrical interlude, featuring a lengthy violin solo, the stormy scherzo continues until it is suddenly cut off by the horn call(II). Now the Adagio festivo begins, which grows with enolmous power until the symphony,s biggest climax and then dies away to the peaceful ending of the work. Tubin's Tenth Symphony was first played by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra on 27th September 1973, conducted by the American, William Byrd. The composer himself was present to receiveovatiods from the public and the orchestra alike. Tubin alustas Reekviemi komponeerimist 1950.a., kuid Il osa keskel jiti ta tod pooleli. Ta jiit. kas sddltalles l9 aastathiljemja lOpetasreose 17. aug.1919. I osa alusekson Henrik Visnapuu (1890 - surnud l95l New yorgis) luuletus,,ole terviter, tervitet", kirjutatud Eesti VabadussOjaajal l9l9.a. Orel ja timpanid alustavadraskepdrase leinamuu- sikaganing koor Iaulab: ,,Nii ilus on surra kui oled noor". Hiljem kostub teatavatroostina: ,,Kes ijle jliab, vabalt vdib elada." Eesti oligi iseseisevkuni 19.10.aastani. Teatava maerani vOiks I osa v0rrelda klassikahseRequient aetenrum'iga. II osa tekst, ,,Sodurimatus" (H. Visnapuu) on luuletatud 19,14.a.,niisiis hoopis raskemalajal: seekord ei Onnestunudeestlastel taassaarutadaoma vabadust kahe suurv6imu vahel. Helikeele dra- maatilisuselton seeosa olsekui Dies rae. lll osa on aldisoolo,,,SOduriema" (Mane Under: 1883 - surnud 1980 Stokholmis).mille tekst pdrineb 1942.a. Muusika on siin intiimsem - ema koneleb lahinguviiljalt koju tulnud pojaga, kes agapeab sotta tagasiminema. IV osa, ,,Sireli"(H. Visnapuu) luuletus pdrineb jiillegi 1919.a..Poeet on vastandanudsireli 6ie- kobarad piissirauaja sOjaga.(Vabadussdja ajal olid t0drukud asetanud koolis sireli6isi oma lange- nud koolivendadetindipotiaukudesse.) V osa algab pikena trompetisoologa ning koor kordab I osa teksti ja muusikat mdnev6rra varieeritud kujul. (Ka siin v6ib leida samasust klassikalise reekviemi vomiga.) L6puks m?ingib trompet katkendi eesti rahvaviisist,,Targa rehea.lune". Nagu Tubin sellega seosesijtles - sureva soduri viimane mOte liiheb koju. ,,Reekviem" tuli esiettekandele17. mail l98l Stokholmis Hedvig Elonora kirikus. Kaastege- vad olid Stokholmi Eesti Meeskoor, lleana Peterson (alt), Mark Falsj<i (orel), Torben Rehnberg (trompet), Seppo Asikarnen (viiike trumm) ja Richard Sundstedt (timpanid). Juhatas helilooja - seeoli ijldseviimane kord, kui Tubin juhatas. Eduard Tubin siindis 18. juunrl 1905 Kallastel, Peipsi jdrve ddres.