Estonian Music & Art News - Week 2, November 2025

Estonian Music & Art News - Week 5, October 2025

As a bookworm, sometimes I like to read a collection of short stories instead of tackling a thick novel. With Inner Compass, we are witnessing a similar experience, a collection of short stories by Andreas Wolff, told not through words but through sound. Each piece is a self-contained narrative, yet together they form a continuous emotional journey. Composed over six years, these twelve piano works feel like fragments of a personal diary, moments of joy, longing, peace, an

At the heart of Forever Elsewhere, the fifth album by Jordanian pianist and composer Samer Fanek, lies the piano. Every instrument here—strings, woodwinds, guitars, drums, and synths—exists not to showcase itself, but to serve the music’s emotional depth. The result is a work that feels less like a collection of tracks and more like a living story, unfolding with all the ups and downs of a love story: moments of drama, passages of darkness, bursts of hope, and an ever-present

As one of the most celebrated Estonian composrs, Arvo Pärt turns 90 on 11 September 2025. His life’s work stretches over turbulent political eras, spiritual searching, radical stylistic change, and global acclaim. In this blog post we explore Pärt’s lifetime achievements, his place in Estonian and world music, and the many events marking this milestone birthday.

On 5 September 2025 as part of the Fringe Festival, Tallinn will host the Estonian premiere of Divine Sonata, a large-scale piano work by composer and pianist Arashk Azizi, inspired by Dante Alighieri’s timeless masterpiece, the Divine Comedy. The concert takes place at Süda saal, Eesti Teatri- ja Muusikamuuseum at 18:00, where the composer himself will perform.

Estonia, despite its small population of just over 1.3 million, holds a significant place in the world of classical music. Over the past century, Estonian composers have contributed works of striking originality, blending Baltic folk traditions with contemporary trends. From the early 20th century’s national romanticism to today’s digitally distributed works, Estonia’s music scene has continually evolved, embracing new creative and technological possibilities.

Twinkle, Twinkle by Alkis H takes one of the most universally recognized melodies in the world and transforms it into a miniature symphonic journey. This twelve-part work, presented as a continuous arc, retains a steady tempo throughout but evolves dramatically in mood, color, and orchestral texture. What begins as a simple nursery theme grows into something rich, inventive, and at times even grandiose—culminating in a sweeping fugue and finale that feel worlds away from the

Among the new generation of Estonian composers, Tõnu Kõrvits has emerged as one of the most poetic and emotionally resonant musical voices of his homeland. Drawing from a rich cultural heritage, his music blends contemporary classical language with folk motifs, dreamlike textures, and a sense of quiet introspection. Known for his deeply atmospheric soundscapes and evocative orchestrations, Kõrvits is not only a prominent composer in Estonia but also increasingly recognized on

Gravity of the Ocean by Aliya Lark, the London-based neoclassical composer and pianist, is a six-track instrumental work that blends felt piano, ambient textures, delicate strings, and subtle electronics. Released on July 18, 2025, the album marks the next step in her emotionally nuanced musical storytelling—a sound world already praised by BBC Radio 3 and featured on Spain's AD21 Music.

Lithuania’s classical and contemporary music scene is rich with originality, emotional depth, and cultural nuance—yet it often remains underrepresented in the broader European narrative. From mystical romanticism to mathematical ultra-minimalism, Lithuanian composers have carved out a unique sonic world that blends folk tradition, modernism, and personal expression.

With his new single “Sentieri”, Italian cellist and composer Luca Basile invites us once again into a cinematic soundscape where classical roots meet modern epic storytelling. Following the release of his debut album Il Viaggio, this piece marks the beginning of a new musical journey, serving both as a spiritual continuation and a bold introduction to his upcoming second album. “Sentieri”—Italian for “paths”—is not only a title, but also a metaphor for the emotional terrain t

The new single release by the renowned pianist and composer Alessandra Toni is a musical gem waiting to be discovered. See You Again by Alessandra Toni is a poignant, cinematic piece that gracefully blends her delicate piano touch with the emotive presence of the string trio “OP3.” Together, they breathe life into a soundscape that feels both personal and universal—a moment suspended between memory and longing.

Nick Pike returns with Phraxia, his third studio album, following the textural richness of Norastoria and the soothing atmospheres of Evergreen. This new release presents a more nuanced evolution of his neoclassical voice—a sonic landscape where solo piano takes center stage, delicately intertwined with shimmering electronic textures and ambient washes.

There are artists who compose music, and then there are artists who reveal something of the world—and of themselves—through sound. Andrew Keese belongs to the latter. An Australian composer, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist, his work resists easy categorization. It walks the line between neoclassical, ambient, and post-rock, but never settles comfortably into any single label. What sets him apart is not just his aesthetic, but the way his music feels lived rooted in experie

Lalo Schifrin, the legendary composer behind the unforgettable Mission: Impossible theme, passed away on June 26, 2025, at the age of 93. His music has pulsed through the heart of modern cinema and television for over seven decades. Best known for his masterful fusion of jazz, classical, and Latin influences, Schifrin's work has become synonymous with tension, motion, and cinematic cool. With a career that bridged continents, genres, and generations,

Velvet Lark invites us into a quiet world of faded memories and sonic fragments in Letters Never Sent, a debut album composed like a handwritten note left on a windowsill—personal, tender, and ephemeral. The project unfolds in seven delicate pieces, just over ten minutes long, but rich with the weight of emotion, memory, and unspoken thoughts.

Avalon Skies’ debut full-length album A Shape of Thought is not here to dazzle with overstatement—it’s here to exist. Gently, honestly, and with emotional depth. What began, in the artist’s words, during a mentally challenging time has evolved into “a healing journey and a path to getting to know my own thoughts.” That sense of inward reflection permeates the album’s pacing, structure, and sound design.

When we think of contemporary classical music, our minds often immediately jump to Western orchestral or electronic instrumentation—or experimental textures made from unconventional sounds. But in the event of Iranian Music Evening at Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia, the concert centered around a traditional Iranian instrument and gave us a compelling example of contemporary classical expression with deep cultural roots.

Cornfield Reference is a six-chapter album by Graff Hoysfeld that plays like a personal log or memoir—only instead of words, it uses sound. These sounds tell stories of beauty, of light and gloom, of dawn and dusk. It’s a sentimental reflection of a private world, suspended somewhere between memory and imagination.