The Holst Singers are acclaimed as one of England’s greatest amateur choirs. The talent and commitment of the individual singers and the leadership of their mercurial conductor, Stephen Layton, ensure that their performances are always of the very highest standards.
Veljo Tormis is—along with Arvo Pärt—Estonia’s most famous living composer, holding an almost mystic status in his home country. He is also the passionate and practical torch-bearer for folk-singing revival, and the integration of an ancient cultural inheritance into thoroughly modern, post-Soviet lives. Interestingly, he trained at the Moscow conservatoire and was steeped in Soviet instruction during his early musical life. His music is almost all written for choirs; few composers have ever been so committed to one genre. Tormis’s choral specialism marks him out from Bartók, Kodály, Vaughan Williams and Grainger, whose pioneering interest in folksong was ultimately less purist given their use of the tunes alone in instrumental or orchestral works: for Tormis, the words and the music are inseparable.
The Holst Singers have recently been invited to Estonia to perform Tormis’s music—a great honour, and a mark of their mastery of the repertoire.
Kaks laulu Ernst Enno sõnadele 'Two songs to words by Ernst Enno'[7'54]
1 Noore suve muinasjutt 'Early summer’s fairy tale' Kuskil küla taga vainul 'Distant on the village meadow'[2'34]
2 Kuulmata kuskil kumiseb kodu 'Soundlessly somewhere murmurings homeward'[5'20]
Kolm eesti mängulaulu 'Three Estonian game songs'[7'14]
3 Käsikivimäng 'The grindstone game' Jauha, jauha nu 'Grinding, grinding now'[2'14]
Fiona Challacombe (alto)
4 Sõrmemähkimismäng 'The finger-binding game' Kes sääl mõtsan puida ragu? 'Who’s that chopping in the forest?'[2'17]
5 Laevamäng 'The ship game' Sõua, laeva, jõua, laeva 'Go now, fine ship, go now, fine ship'[2'43]
Katy Cooper (soprano), Sarah Billiald (alto), Fiona Challacombe (alto)
Kolm laulu eeposest Kalevipoeg 'Three songs from the epic Kalev's Son'[10'39]
6 Oh, mu hella eidekene 'O, my gentle tender mother'[2'38]
7 Murueide tütred 'Daughters of the Meadow Matron' Õekesed, hellakesed 'O sweet sisters'[2'53]
8 Laine veereb 'The wave rolls'[5'08]
Liivlaste pärandus 'Livonian heritage'[16'42]
9 Lindude äratamine 'Waking the birds' Tšitšor-linkist, tšitšor-linkist 'Tšitšor-birds, tšitšor-birds'[5'52]
10 Karjametsas 'At Pasture' Joda, joda, päva, juokšõ 'Make haste sun, make haste'[3'27]
11 Vastlad 'Shrovetide' Zingi, pringi, vastalova 'Sing, mummer, dance, mummer'[1'46]
12 Unehiireke 'Wee winkie mouse (Lullaby)' Kus sa juokšod, unnõ irki 'Where are you running, wee winkie mouse'[2'42]
13 Laulis isa, laulis poega 'Sang the father, sang the son' Loliz iza, loliz puoga[2'55]
Simon Wookey (tenor)
14 Laevas lauldakse 'Singing aboard ship' Kukapas se Inkerissä kyntää ja kylvää 'Who will plough and sow the fields of Ingria'[5'00]
Fiona Challacombe (alto)
Sügismaastikud 'Autumn landscapes'[8'56]
15 On hilissuvi 'It is late summer' Ja lõhnab angervaks 'The fragrant meadow sweet'[1'28]
16 Üle taeva jooksevad pilved 'Clouds are racing'[1'23]
17 Kahvatu valgus 'Pale light'[1'22]
18 Valusalt punased lehed 'Painfully red are the leaves'[0'45]
19 Tuul kõnnumaa kohal 'Wind over the barrens'[1'06]
20 Külm sügisöö 'Cold autumn night'[1'22]
21 Kanarbik 'Heather' Kurb lilla kanarbik 'Sad purple heather-bell'[1'30]
Neli eesti hällilaulu 'Four Estonian lullabies'[6'55]
22 Laulan lapsele 'I sing for my child' Tuu, tuu, eiä, eiä! 'Hushaby, lullaby!'[1'19]
23 Marjal aega magada 'It’s time for the little berry to sleep' Maka, maka, marjaken 'Sleep, sleep, little berry'[1'50]
24 Lase kiik käia! 'Let the cradle swing!' Eiä, tuia, lase kiike käia! 'Hushaby, lullaby, let the cradle swing!'[1'34]
25 Äiutus 'Lulling' Äiu-äiu, äiu-äiu 'Lullaby, lullaby'[2'12]
26 Helletused 'Childhood memory – Herding calls'[8'02]
Katy Cooper (soprano), Nicola Wookey (soprano)
