SPRING 2008 The Power of Black Bread Birgit SPECIAL! Õigemeel The Republic the First of Estonia - 90! Estonian The Joy of Pop Idol Joining Schengen Portrait Painting Hearts and ISSN 1406-7331 Minds of Estonian Scientists ● land & people ● state & society ● economy & business ● culture & entertainment ● tourism Price: 75 EEK, 5€ NEWS Executive publisher Lifestyle Publishers Liivaoja 1-4 10155 Tallinn, Estonia www.lifeinestonia.ee Editor Reet Grosberg [email protected] Translation Ambassador Translation Agency Language editor Richard Adang Cover Layout Model: Birgit Õigemeel Positive Design Ltd. Photo: Kalle Veesaar Printing Reusner Ltd. Lõuka 10 13521 Tallinn, Estonia Partner CONTENT SPRING 2008 17 Come and see the beautiful Estonia! The new Estonia Quiz 2008 by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is opened. Visit http://quiz.mfa.ee and answer 12 questions 6 Where to go this spring? about Estonia to win the grand prize - Life in Estonia recommends a free trip to Estonia for two. 8 News 18 Estonia – full member of the Schengen legal area 12 The Estonian way Since 21 December 2007, Estonia is a member Despite all hardships, Estonians have managed of the Schengen area. Piret Lilleväli from the to maintain their language and mentality and Ministry of the Interior and Signe Matteus from to survive as a people. In 2008, the Republic the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explain what’s of Estonia celebrates its 90th anniversary. Mart involved for Schengen and non-Schengen coun- Laar, a historian, MP and former PM of Estonia try nationals. tells the story of independence. 22 Modern Estonian Border Guard on the road of positive change Estonian Border Guard has gone through many changes lately. The most recent challenge was preparations for joining the Schengen area. What did joining Schengen change in the daily work of the Border Guard? 4 LIFE IN ESTONIA 2008 SPRING CONTENT 26 The secrets of the heart 59 Chin down, lie in a systemic approach nose up or face The Laboratory of Systems Biology, led cut in half by Marko Vendelin, is still quite new. Throughout time, portraits have formed a sub- It was opened mainly because he received the stantial part of art exhibitions. Art historian Enriko Wellcome Trust’s International Senior Research Talvistu contemplates on why we need self-por- Fellowship. What is systems biology and what traits and portraits of other artists, writers, actors is the goal of the research carried out there? and composers. 30 Ago-Erik Riet – 62 Birgit Õigemeel our own Archimedes creates beauty The young and talented Ago-Erik Riet is studying when she sings to become a mathematician, supervised by the Like a comet, one gentle- brilliant professors at Memphis and Cambridge. voiced beautiful girl has shot “I am not a genius, perhaps just talented,” up to Estonian music says Riet. heaven. Birgit Õigemeel became our first Superstar 34 Estonia and Finland - winning the Estonian version of the twins that grew apart, “Pop Idol”. Who is this girl that but met again sings like an angel and looks Estonians and Finns have strong cultural and like Snow White? economic ties. The two nations have even fought for each other’s independence and both 67 The most countries celebrated their 90th anniversaries of international independence recently. What are the tasks of small town in Estonia the Enterprise Estonia mission in Helsinki ? Otepää is called the Winter Capital of Estonia. Now that the Tehvandi 90- metre jumping 38 Rye bread – the staple hill has been completed, the Manager of the of the Estonian diet Tehvandi Sports Centre, Alar Arukuusk, sees There is not a single Estonian in the world who Otepää as the site for the World Championships. does not miss black bread when away from home for a long period of time. Why is that? 72 Listen to the sound Also find out about the two biggest bakeries in of nature and the Estonia – Leibur and Fazer. song of birds An Austrian journalist Judith Lewonig shares her 44 The 90th anniversary experiences of birdwatching in Estonia. of the Republic of Estonia in exhibition halls 74 Clazz To mark the anniversary, many museums all Restaurant & Club over the country are taking a look at the various New taste experiences for stomach, ear and eye sides of life, lifestyle and character of Estonians. are waiting for you in Clazz Restaurant and Club. This issue focuses on two exhibits – “The Will to But as they say: The best in Clazz is You! be Free”, an exhibition at the Estonian History Museum, and “Freedom Square”, the annual 76 Estonia Artists’ Association exhibition. in brief 50 Portfolio 77 Practical En face and profile. Estonian portrait painting information through time for visitors LIFE IN ESTONIA 2008 SPRING 5 WHERE TO GO THIS SPRING GALA OF THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL From 3-15 June, DANCE DAY SUMMER NIGHT STARS the Estonian National Opera Performances: 29 April and 3 May 2008 will host the traditional festival Summer Night Stars. Widely recog- Estonian National Opera celebrates the International Dance Day nized ballet and opera stars from our own theatre and from around with a splendid gala performance. The first part of the gala features the world will delight our theatre goers in the following perfor- ballet soloists of the Estonian National Opera Ballet Troupe and mances: guest performers from Finland, Sweden, Germany and Latvia. The Frederick Loewe’s second part presents a short ballet Before Nightfall. The ballet will popular musical remain in the repertoire of the theatre. My Fair Lady on 3 and 10 June ballet Cassandra Before Nightfall Tristan And Isolde on 4 June, music by Music: An opera by Richard Wagner Mario Schiavoni Bohuslav Martinú Premiere: 17 May 2008 Tchaikovsky’s ballet (Czech Republic) Performances: 24 and 31 May, Swan Lake Choreographer: 7 June 2008 on 6 June Nils Christe (Holland) Richard Wagner’s Designer: Music Director: Arvo Volmer Tristan and Isolde Keso Dekker (Holland) Conductors: Arvo Volmer, Jüri on 7 June Alperten, Mihhail Gerts children’s ballet Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs The ballet Before Nightfall was Stage Director: Neeme on 8 June, music by Tibor Kocsak completed in 1985 on the com- Kuningas Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca mission by Rudolf Nurejev. It Choreographer: Oksana Titova on 11and 13 June premiered at the Paris Opera. A Title roles: Heikki Siukola ballet Don Quixote The festival will be closed by well known Dutch choreographer (Finland), Peter Svensson on 12 June, the gala performance of the Nils Christe set the choreogra- (Austria), Irmgard Vilsmaier music by Ludwig Minkus Tallinn Ballet School (on 14 phy to the music of Bohuslav (Germany), Heli Veskus and Verdi’s Rigoletto and 15 June). Martinu, which was written on others on 14 June www.opera.ee the eve of the Second World War. The choreography reflects Tristan and Isolde, a beautiful the feelings that the approach- example of the new form of ing war creates in people. music drama that strives for a www.opera.ee continuous flow of music and an opposite of Italian number opera, premiered in 1865 in Munich. Besides Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the story of Tristan and Isolde is the great- est love drama of all ages. The tense music drama of Wagner is inspired by the love affair the composer had with Mathilde Wesendonck, the spouse of his patron. Since its premiere, the opera has been accompanied by great success and it is fre- quently performed all over the world. www.opera.ee PUCCINI-GALA May 15th 2008 at 7 PM - Endla Theatre, Pärnu May 16th 2008 at 7 PM - Russian Theatre, Tallinn Puccini gala is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini. Soprano Ewa Biegas from Poland, tenor Ji-Min Park from South-Korea, baritone Laimonas Pautienius from Lithuania, baritone Ilya Silchukov from Belorussia, soprano Veronika Dzhioeva from Russia and soprano Tatyana Romanova from Estonia will perform arias from Puccini’s operas „La Bohem“, Tosca“, „Manon Lescaut“, „Turandot“, „Madama Butterfly“ etc.. Soloists will be accompanied by The 21st Century Orchestra and Nargen Opera Chorus conducted by the Artistic Director of PromFest Erki Pehk. Tickets: 250 / 200 / 150 www.promfest.ee 6 LIFE IN ESTONIA 2008 SPRING LIFE IN ESTONIA RECOMMENDS From 16-27 April, jazz musicians from sixteen countries will give 52 concerts in Tallinn, and other Estonian towns: Tartu, Pärnu, Viljandi, Narva, Rapla, Türi, Paide, Haapsalu, Valga, Rakvere, Võru, Keila, and Kuressaare. At Jazzkaar each concert is special. Find your own favourites from our homepage www.jazzkaar.ee where you can also listen to videos of the performers and hear samples of music. Leny Andrade Al Di Meola & Sambop Band (USA) (Brazil) One of the top jazz Probably the Jazz Diva of Brazil. After rising into guitar players! A vir- fame in the 1960’s in her native Rio de Janeiro, tuoso whose playing Andrade continued to mix samba and bossa has influenced many with jazz in the next decades. Although she has others on that instru- maintained quite a low profile in Europe, Leny ment. Di Meola’s Andrade is well-known in USA. Recently her music, based on album “Ay Vivo” won the Latin Grammy. Latin traditions, brings together dif- ferent music from around the world. Year by year his compositions has developed towards concentration and he manages to convey his message with lesser and lesser notes and decibels. The band Al Di Meola plays with at Jazzkaar has a line-up of two guitars, percus- Tommy Emmanuel sions and an accordion. (Australia) A really good guitarist has always something Angélique Kidjo more to his performance than just flashing (Benin) fingers or fireworks of techniques. Just listen Gino Vannelli One of the most to Tommy Emmanuel play and feel how the (Canada) distinctive voices multi-stylistic virtuoso is able to capture your In the 1970’s, Vannelli became famous and suc- of African music! attention.