Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
31	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	1	2	3	4

Allar Kaasik - Timeless Light: Estonian Cello Works (2017)

Posted By: Designol

Date: 7 Feb 2023 01:10:36

Allar Kaasik has enjoyed a long and fruitful career, in his native Estonia as well as abroad. Reflecting on it in the liner notes to this very personal disc, he singles out one particular aspect: the ambition to embrace the very latest compositions by Estonian composers. Performing in churches as he often does, Kaasik finds music resounding in a church a part of the Holy Service. This is reflected in many of the works which have been written for him, with composers such as Galina Grigorjeva and Kuldar Sink enriching the tradition of Estonian church music.

Among Allar Kaasik’s many partners in performing these works, several appear on the present disc, including two eminent choirs – the State Choir Latvija and Estonian National Male Choir – as well as the Latvian organist Kristīne Adamaite. A focal point of the programme is the cello concerto Pro et contra by the most celebrated of all Estonian composers, Arvo Pärt. Kaasik is supported by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peeter Lilje and the recording has a particular significance – originally released by Melodiya in 1989, it was the first recording of Pärt’s music published on disc in the Soviet Union following the lifting of the unofficial ban on his music. The remaining works on Timeless Light were all recorded between 2014 and 2016.

You get your money’s worth here: Estonia’s flagship orchestra, two of the finest choirs in the Baltics (and, therefore, the world), some truly delicious organ-playing – all that on what is really a disc of cello music. Allar Kaasik has assembled an album of contemporary works for his instrument that offers a more varied view than usual of Estonia’s contemporary music scene. He writes in the booklet that any music played in a church takes on the guise of ‘Holy Service’ and the pacing of his disc has a ritualistic concentration. But the ambiguity of that phase ‘holy service’ also describes a listening experience with one foot in the spirituality of worship and another in that of humanity and politics.

The recording of Arvo Pärt’s Pro et contra (1966) was made for Melodiya in Soviet times. I have never heard Pärt like this: frantic and dissonant, almost suffocating before it stumbles (awkwardly, it has to be said) into a culminating chorale. In Tõnu Kõrvits’s musical fairy tale Seven Dreams of Seven Birds the accompanying ensemble is not orchestra but choir. The selection of four ‘dreams’ here preserves the narrative but presents a journey in texture too, ending in exhaled exchanges between the constituent parts.

Galina Grigorjeva’s Prayer imagines male voices as a heavenly choir high up while Kaasik’s cello kneels at an altar; the Slavic thickness of the composer’s choral writing (she was born in Ukraine) is pitted against the cello’s (originally a saxophone) incantations. Her solo cello piece Recitativo accompagnato is a penetrating work with an unsettling ending and we also hear an unaccompanied work by Kuldar Sink, many of whose works were destroyed in the fire that killed him too. His Lord, have mercy on us is a fervent piece, not without humour, that finds the light of the major in its final breath.

Most resonant of all is Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Spectrum IV for cello and organ, which acknowledges that a cello can never play a duet with a large church’s organ unless the acoustic consciously acts as a musical intermediary. Rooted in a murmuring pedal note, this highly concentrated piece rises up monstrously before ‘ascending to heaven’ via the portal of an extraordinary organ chord, magically registered by Kristīne Adamaite. Kaasik’s playing sounds like an extension of his voice, nothing less and nothing more. One for repeat – or ritualistic – listening.

Review by Andrew Mellor, Gramophone

Allar Kaasik, cello

Tracklist:

Galina Grigorjeva (b. 1962)
01. Molitva (Prayer) (2005/2013) (13:48)
Version for cello and male choir
- Estonian National Male Choir (Eesti Rahvusmeeskoor)
- Mikk Üleoja, conductor

Kuldar Sink (1942–95)
02. Gospodi, pomilui nas (Lord, have mercy on us) (1994/2012) (11:08)
or cello solo. Completed by Allar Kaasik

Tõnu Kõrvits (b. 1969)
Excerpts from Seitsme linnu seitse und (Seven Dreams of Seven Birds)
for cello and choir (2009)
03. I. Animato (6:02)
04. III. Cadenza (3:21)
05. V. Allegretto giocoso (3:26)
06. VII. Tranquillo con moto (5:17)
- State Choir Latvija
- Māris Sirmais, conductor

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
Pro et contra, concerto for cello and orchestra (1966)
07. I. Maestoso (5:15)
08. II. Largo (0:30)
09. III. Allegro (3:12)
- Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
- Peeter Lilje, conductor

Galina Grigorjeva
Recitativo accompagnato
Sonata per violoncello solo (2003)
10. I. Volante, quasi improvvisata – Andante sostenuto (7:06)
11. II. Ben marcato, con rabbia – Presto (2:49)
12. III. Largo elegiaco (4:56)

Erkki-Sven Tüür (b. 1959)
13. Spectrum IV for cello and organ (2004) (14:04)
- Kristīne Adamaite, organ

EAC log

Exact Audio Copy V1.3 from 2. September 2016

EAC extraction logfile from 4. April 2018, 0:31

Allar Kaasik / Timeless Light: Estonian Cello Works

Used drive : PLDS DVD-RW DU8A6SH Adapter: 1 ID: 0

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000

Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 128 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Flac\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "Date=%year%" -T "Genre=%genre%" %source%

TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 13:48.13 | 0 | 62112
2 | 13:48.13 | 11:08.11 | 62113 | 112223
3 | 24:56.24 | 6:01.69 | 112224 | 139367
4 | 30:58.18 | 3:21.17 | 139368 | 154459
5 | 34:19.35 | 3:25.44 | 154460 | 169878
6 | 37:45.04 | 5:17.12 | 169879 | 193665
7 | 43:02.16 | 5:15.36 | 193666 | 217326
8 | 48:17.52 | 0:29.43 | 217327 | 219544
9 | 48:47.20 | 3:11.40 | 219545 | 233909
10 | 51:58.60 | 7:06.19 | 233910 | 265878
11 | 59:05.04 | 2:49.35 | 265879 | 278588
12 | 61:54.39 | 4:55.72 | 278589 | 300785
13 | 66:50.36 | 14:04.20 | 300786 | 364105

Range status and errors

Selected range

Filename C:\temp\BIS-CD-1887 - Timeless Light - Kaasik\Timeless Light.wav

Peak level 96.5 %
Extraction speed 4.1 X
Range quality 100.0 %
Test CRC AE80E99C
Copy CRC AE80E99C
Copy OK

No errors occurred

AccurateRip summary

Track 1 cannot be verified as accurate (confidence 1) [6EABF358], AccurateRip returned [02F914C9] (AR v2)
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [F8F87F66] (AR v2)
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [FDF4BFEF] (AR v2)
Track 4 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [89EAD0C5] (AR v2)
Track 5 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [F632753D] (AR v2)
Track 6 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [62CFF825] (AR v2)
Track 7 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [244A66ED] (AR v2)
Track 8 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [195A9438] (AR v2)
Track 9 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [12DE4355] (AR v2)
Track 10 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [A9C03305] (AR v2)
Track 11 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [BD840B47] (AR v2)
Track 12 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [7326FAA5] (AR v2)
Track 13 accurately ripped (confidence 1) [5FF1B598] (AR v2)

12 track(s) accurately ripped
1 track(s) could not be verified as accurate

Some tracks could not be verified as accurate

End of status report

==== Log checksum 85338E28B16E92A40D1C9126B31A87289A7B6C762FC9C3C9356964D60E902AF8 ====

AR log

[CUETools log; Date: 06.04.2018 2:13:14; Version: 2.1.4]
[CTDB TOCID: 3.2Jcv8N4fT.MxtFHWoNytaMiPE-] found.
Track | CTDB Status
1 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
2 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
3 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
4 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
5 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
6 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
7 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
8 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
9 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
10 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
11 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
12 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
13 | (2/2) Accurately ripped
[AccurateRip ID: 0029612c-0185048b-c212f60d] found.
Track [ CRC | V2 ] Status
01 [1fdd8627|6eabf358] (0+0/1) No match
02 [7ad63239|f8f87f66] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
03 [2ce10735|fdf4bfef] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
04 [ae660db0|89ead0c5] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
05 [720f8828|f632753d] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
06 [ce341c13|62cff825] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
07 [ee1cd401|244a66ed] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
08 [04b088c9|195a9438] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
09 [ec2b832e|12de4355] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
10 [b44fdb6b|a9c03305] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
11 [b9b56de7|bd840b47] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
12 [d61ebdb3|7326faa5] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped
13 [f83d888b|5ff1b598] (0+1/1) Accurately ripped

Track Peak [ CRC32 ] [W/O NULL] [ LOG ]
– 96,5 [AE80E99C] [1C333375] CRC32
01 96,1 [E3108C79] [A8668CF7]
02 73,3 [A5F147B3] [BA34C717]
03 64,7 [453CE6A0] [A8E9D806]
04 44,5 [3D873FA9] [5401A6A6]
05 37,5 [39AF811A] [4FBB1055]
06 95,8 [D43FA8EC] [5392A374]
07 90,8 [FEC56732] [917830AE]
08 14,2 [976EF3E5] [0B07ED7F]
09 96,0 [51D3D183] [F77130B2]
10 48,9 [E5E44643] [2C39923A]
11 63,7 [5AEC3F86] [0E333257]
12 57,6 [4E21FE32] [1FAD96B4]
13 96,5 [A67BAC44] [DE8F01B9]

DR log

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2018-04-06 02:06:43

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Allar Kaasik, Estonian National Male Choir, Mikk Üleoja / Timeless Light: Estonian Cello Works (1)
Allar Kaasik, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Peeter Lilje / Timeless Light: Estonian Cello Works (2-4)
Allar Kaasik, Kristine Adamaite / Timeless Light: Estonian Cello Works (5)
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR14 -0.35 dB -20.54 dB 13:48 01-Grigorjeva: Molitva (Prayer)
DR12 -0.84 dB -18.19 dB 5:15 07-Pärt: Pro et contra - I. Maestoso
DR9 -16.91 dB -29.13 dB 0:30 08-Pärt: Pro et contra - II. Largo
DR11 -0.35 dB -15.94 dB 3:12 09-Pärt: Pro et contra - III. Allegro
DR14 -0.31 dB -19.25 dB 14:04 13-Tüür: Spectrum IV
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 5
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 531 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Allar Kaasik, State Choir Larvija, Maris Sirmais / Timeless Light: Estonian Cello Works
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR16 -3.78 dB -26.49 dB 6:02 03-Kõrvits: Seven Dreams of Seven Birds (excerpts) - I. Animato
DR14 -7.01 dB -27.50 dB 3:21 04-Kõrvits: Seven Dreams of Seven Birds (excerpts) - III. Cadenza
DR15 -8.51 dB -30.13 dB 3:26 05-Kõrvits: Seven Dreams of Seven Birds (excerpts) - V. Allegretto giocoso
DR14 -0.37 dB -21.50 dB 5:17 06-Kõrvits: Seven Dreams of Seven Birds (excerpts) - VII. Tranquillo con moto
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 4
Official DR value: DR15

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 531 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Allar Kaasik / Timeless Light: Estonian Cello Works
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR14 -2.70 dB -22.22 dB 11:08 02-Sink: Gospodi, pomilui nas (Lord, have mercy on us)
DR13 -6.20 dB -25.79 dB 7:06 10-Grigorjeva: Recitativo accompagnato - I. Volante, quasi improvvisata – Andante sostenuto
DR12 -3.92 dB -19.76 dB 2:49 11-Grigorjeva: Recitativo accompagnato - II. Ben marcato, con rabbia – Presto
DR14 -4.79 dB -27.35 dB 4:56 12-Grigorjeva: Recitativo accompagnato - III. Largo elegiaco
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 4
Official DR value: DR13

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 531 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

All thanks to original releaser

More interesting music in My Blog

2017 Allar Kaasik Arvo Pärt CD-Rip Cello Classical Erkki-Sven Tüür FLAC Galina Grigorjeva Kuldar Sink Lossless MP3 Tõnu Kõrvits Classical Music