Congratulations to Erkki-Sven Tüür, Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra for winning this year’s Contemporary Music “Diapason d’or”
France’s Diapason Magazine has selected the best CDs of 2020 and singled 17 of them out as the “Diapason d’or de l’année” The Estonian Festival Orchestra’s recording of works by Erkki-Sven Tüür on Alpha Classics has taken first place as Contemporary recording of the year.
In its review of the album Diapason wrote:
“… With these tumultuous frescoes, Estonian Erkki-Sven Tüür confirms his place among the great Nordic symphonists … Paavo Järvi and his Estonian orchestra, precise and committed, highlight the countless facets of this broad symphony that is both narrative and abstract.”
Paavo Järvi commented:
“The strong relationship which Erkki-Sven Tüür and I have had for over forty years now, has been one of the pivotal points in my musical life. I consider him to be one of the greatest living composers and am particularly happy that this album – which coincided with Erkki-Sven’s 60th birthday – has won such an important award … Having Erkki-Sven by our side during all the rehearsals, recordings and concerts made each concert even more special and ensured that our performances were true to the composer’s wishes.”
All three works on the album were recorded live in concert. The 9th Symphony – Mythos – which forms the album’s centre piece, was recorded at its 2018 world premiere in Tallinn; an occasion which marked the start of the Estonian Festival Orchestr a’s first international tour and 100 years of Estonian Independence. The other two works – Incantation of Tempest and Sow the Wind – were recorded at the Pärnu Music Festival.
The “Diapason d’or de l’année” are a must-have prize list in the world of classical music and this year’s winners will be presented by Radio France in a special programme “En pistes!” on Monday 30th November at 9am CET