Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre Karol Kisiel Vision of the artistic profile of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir represented by its chief conductors: Tõnu Kaljuste, Paul Hillier and Daniel Reuss A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music) Supervisor: Prof. Toomas Siitan Tallinn 2013 Vision of the artistic profile of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir represented by its chief conductors: Tõnu Kaljuste, Paul Hillier and Daniel Reuss Abstract The research focuses on the impact of the chief conductors of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (henceforth EPCC) on the choir’s artistic profile. The author concentrates mainly on the comparison of the conductors’ approach towards the EPCC’s sound and its specifics. The researchers point of view on what are the essential elements contributing to the determining the quality of the choir’s sound serves as the methodological model. Based on this, the author compares the conductors approach towards mentioned elements, and pictures its general influence on the EPCC’s sound. Since the differences between the musical background and artistic principles represented by all conductors are notable (due to their different nationalities, education, technical skills etc.), it is valuable to observe the choir’s response to their individual ideas. An important part of the dissertation are the interviews done by the author with all of the chief conductors of the EPCC, interviews with singers expressing their thoughts on each conductor and his vision for the choir, and the comparison of the recordings of Kreek’s Psalms which have been done by the EPCC under all of the artistic directors. 2 Table of contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................4 1.1. Aims of the research...................................................................................................4 1.2. Background to the research ........................................................................................5 1.3. Research methods.......................................................................................................6 2. Elements deciding on the choir’s quality........................................................................8 2.1. Sound of the choir.......................................................................................................8 2.1.1. Blend of voices .......................................................................................................8 2.1.2. Intonation................................................................................................................9 2.1.3. Vibrato ..................................................................................................................10 2.1.4. Seating ..................................................................................................................12 2.1.5. Acoustics ..............................................................................................................14 2.2. Rehearsing ................................................................................................................15 2.3. Relations between conductor and ensemble.............................................................17 3. The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir as a reflection of Tõnu Kaljuste’s, Paul Hillier’s and Daniel Reuss’ musical ideas ....................................................................20 3.1. Sound........................................................................................................................20 3.1.1. Blend.....................................................................................................................26 3.1.2. Intonation..............................................................................................................31 3.1.3. Vibrato ..................................................................................................................37 3.1.4. Seating ..................................................................................................................40 3.1.5. Acoustics ..............................................................................................................42 3.2. Rehearsing and performing ......................................................................................43 3.3. Auditioning and choosing new singers.....................................................................50 3.4. Repertoire .................................................................................................................52 3.5. Recordings................................................................................................................57 4. Conclusion....................................................................................................................61 Primary sources ........................................................................................................................65 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................66 Töö lühikokkuvõte....................................................................................................................68 Appendix 1. Biographies ..........................................................................................................74 Appendix 2. The EPCC’s discography under Tõnu Kaljuste, Paul Hillier and Daniel Reuss..79 3 1. Introduction The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir was celebrating its 30 th anniversary in 2011. During those thirty years the choir was led by a relatively small number of chief artistic directors: Tõnu Kaljuste, Paul Hillier and Daniel Reuss – three highly professional conductors with strong personalities, clear musical ideas and widely differing visions of the choir sound. The choir is a specific reflection of conductor’s ideas and musical taste. Every artistic director, while working with any ensemble, may see the result of his touch in the sound produced by his singers. It is fascinating for me to observe the work of these inspiring conductors and learn how much and in what way one can model the choir’s sonority. For me as an aspiring conductor, the following research is of great importance, because thanks to it I have established a close relationship with one of the best chamber choirs in the world. During my first appearances at the EPCC’s rehearsals I was truly astonished by its volume, beauty of sound and perfect intonation. I could not find any feature to complain about, which on one hand was exciting, but also gave me a reason to think about my artistic imagination and musical skills. After some time I started to understand more of the structure of this particular choir, its needs and desires. I came to understand where the weaker points of the group were and which features should just be maintained in their perfection. The conductor’s “instrument” is a choir or an orchestra. This type of instrument is special, because consists of people who usually express their opinions about their leader rather freely. Therefore it is essential for any conductor to understand the needs of his instrument and to be able to adjust quickly to the particular character and demands of the choir and orchestra he happens to work with. 1.1. Aims of the research The main area of my research is the evolution of the artistic profile of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under chief conductorships of Tõnu Kaljuste, Paul Hillier and Daniel Reuss. Since their musical backgrounds and artistic ideas are noticeably different, I intended to discover what features of their artistic approach dominated their tenure and if they were able to establish a reasonable balance between introducing their individual vision of the choir’s sonority and general outlook, and respect the native features characteristic for this particular choir. 4 I intend to describe concrete factors related to choral singing and conducting craft, in order to illustrate how much of the choir shape depends on conductor’s vision. I would also like to picture the choir’s reactions (positive and negative) to decisions made by the artistic directors. Since the process of choir development, forming its common sound, balance, blend, and technical abilities etc. can be considered only in longer time periods, in my dissertation I will concentrate only on the chief conductors of the EPCC assuming that many, but short projects with guest directors may not have particular influence on a general state of the choir. The possibility of rehearsing frequently, having close contact with the singers and observing their development and vocal evolution placed Tõnu Kaljuste, Paul Hillier and Daniel Reuss in comfortable situations while introducing their own visions to the choir. 1.2. Background to the research The essential theoretical ground for my dissertation was studying literature documenting research on the choir performance with particular emphasis on the specifics of the sound. I needed to investigate what elements create the overall sonority of the choir and developing which features allow the conductor to develop and to shape the sound according to his own vision. An additional task was discovering if, and to what extent these features are changeable. An important aspect where a majority of researchers seem to represent similar approach, is the