Andres Kaljuste is described by maestro Paavo Järvi as “blessed with trademark instinctive musicianship, a sensitive approach to sound and an ability to form an easy and natural bond with fellow musicians”.
Before taking up orchestral conducting studies at the Sibelius Academy, Kaljuste trained as a violinist and violist, gaining valuable experience as a player in top orchestras such as Philharmonia, Rundfunk- Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Helsinki Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Since graduating from the Sibelius Academy orchestral conducting class he has appeared as a guest conductor including Lahti Sinfonia, Tampere Symphony Orchestra, Estonian National Opera, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Aalborg Symhony Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and Odense Symphony Orchestra.
As a chamber musician he has appeared in many top festivals across Europe down the years. Kaljuste has recently recorded all the string quartets by Jamaican-born composer Eleanor Alberga for American label Navona. In the near future he will also be releasing an album with music by Heino Eller for violin and piano alongside pianist Sophia Rahman. As of 2022 he is also the conductor of Eller Sinfonietta.
Hunt
12.6.
Four of the concert’s enduring favourites tell stories of life and death. While Mozart’s quartet rings with uninhibited joy, Johannes Brahms’s trio, composed in memory of his mother, is an ethereal picture of beautiful memories. Jörg Widmann’s Jagdquartett, one of the most performed pieces of our time, takes us on a terrifying hunting trip from which there is only one way out.
Sound of Passion
14.6.
“These notes of mine kiss all of you. They call for you passionately,” wrote Leoš Janáček to his young beloved in the cover letter of his string quartet. Richard Wagner’s haunting Tristan and Isolde also deals with lust and longing for one’s beloved. American composer Amy Beach’s piano quintet, full of late Romantic passion, has become a favourite with audiences and critics alike in recent years.
Mozart, the entertainer
17.6.
As well as operas and concertos, W. A. Mozart composed unrivalled light music that was played all over Europe’s courts and spas. The playful Divertimento for three wind instruments was written for the common amusement of a group of friends, while the Divertimento in E-flat major was probably the world’s first string trio. Light or not, every note carries the weight of Mozart’s unique touch.
