Events

Six concerts will be organised all together at the Town Hall, St Charles' church and St John's church.

The motto of the Festival Is "OPEN YOUR EYES, OPEN YOUR HEART".
That sentence goes together with a benefit campaign for children with special needs in Day Care Center Käo.

Programme:
http://www.plmf.ee/winterfestival_programme.html

Opera by G. Verdi
Premiere: 9 November 2007

Music Director: Arvo Volmer
Conductor: Arvo Volmer/ Jüri Alperten
Stage Director: Neeme Kuningas
Designer: Kustav-Agu Püüman
Lighting Designer: Neeme Jõe

Approx running time 2 h 15 min
Sung in Italian, subtitles in Estonian and English

Verdi’s opera is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse. The opera retells of the court jester Rigoletto who is disliked for his scornful wit. Inside, Rigoletto is a loving father, who tries to bring up his daughter Gilda by protecting her from all evil of the world.

In Rigoletto two opera traditions meet – the traditional world of arias and the new world of continuous flow of music that leads to Wagner’s idea of music drama. The latter is supported by the fact that Verdi wrote an opera, which is almost entirely composed of duets and that lacks the accustomed grand finales, letting the dramatic action develop without interruption.
The opera is composed at a very difficult time for Verdi. In a few years he lost his two children and his wife. Due to his tragic experience, the plot of the opera moved him thoroughly and gave the opera exceptional musical depth.
Since its premiere in 1851, the opera has been followed by great success and it is the first of his famous "popular triad" – Rigoletto (1851), Il Trovatore (1853) and La Traviata (1853). It has been 40 years since Rigoletto was staged in the Estonian National Opera. The title role was sung by the unforgettable Georg Ots and Tiit Kuusik.

Opera by Giacomo Puccini

Opera in three acts with two intervals
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica after Victorien Sardou’s play of the same name
Premiere: 11 May 2005 at the Estonian National Opera
Approx. running time 2 hours 50 min.
Sung in Italian, with subtitles in Estonian

Music Director and Conductor – Arvo Volmer
Conductor – Jüri Alperten
Stage Director – Raimundas Banionis (Lithuania)
Designer – Sergejus Bocullo (Lithuania)
Chorus Master – Elmo Tiisvald
Conductor of the boys’ choir – Hirvo Surva
Music Consultant – Alessandro Pagliazzi (Italy)
Concert Masters – Ivo Sillamaa, Ralf Taal
Lighting Designer – Neeme Jõe
Assistant Stage Director – Algirdas Janutas (Lithuania)
Assistant Stage Director – Tõnu Tamm
Dance Repetiteur – Tatjana Järvi
Stage Managers – Peeter Karell, Rein Taidla

Contemporary dance performances

Approximate running time: 2 h

Choreographers: Oksana Titova, Marina Kesler


The contemporary dance performances will offer a possibility to get acquainted with new trends in the way of thinking of young Estonian dance creators. Fresh stage productions of two talented choreographers Oksana Titova and Marina Kesler will be put on stage that are based on the works of Estonian composers. Marina Kesler has got inspiration for her dance performance from "Werewolf" by August Kitzberg. Oksana Titova, however, brings on stage a dance story "Elsinore" based on Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" which music has been composed and is performed by Taavi Kerikmäe.

Opera by G. Verdi
Premiere: 9 November 2007

Music Director: Arvo Volmer
Conductor: Arvo Volmer/ Jüri Alperten
Stage Director: Neeme Kuningas
Designer: Kustav-Agu Püüman
Lighting Designer: Neeme Jõe

Approx running time 2 h 15 min
Sung in Italian, subtitles in Estonian and English

Verdi’s opera is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse. The opera retells of the court jester Rigoletto who is disliked for his scornful wit. Inside, Rigoletto is a loving father, who tries to bring up his daughter Gilda by protecting her from all evil of the world.

In Rigoletto two opera traditions meet – the traditional world of arias and the new world of continuous flow of music that leads to Wagner’s idea of music drama. The latter is supported by the fact that Verdi wrote an opera, which is almost entirely composed of duets and that lacks the accustomed grand finales, letting the dramatic action develop without interruption.
The opera is composed at a very difficult time for Verdi. In a few years he lost his two children and his wife. Due to his tragic experience, the plot of the opera moved him thoroughly and gave the opera exceptional musical depth.
Since its premiere in 1851, the opera has been followed by great success and it is the first of his famous "popular triad" – Rigoletto (1851), Il Trovatore (1853) and La Traviata (1853). It has been 40 years since Rigoletto was staged in the Estonian National Opera. The title role was sung by the unforgettable Georg Ots and Tiit Kuusik.

RISTO JOOST (counter tenor)
RICHARD SWEENEY (lute, Gr