ROMANCE CONCERT SERIES
ROMANCE CONCERT SERIES
Pearls from the Romantic era
Supported by Radisson Collection Hotel, Tallinn
Ahead of their December tour to Austria, ERSO presents its repertoire to the home audience. The programme features two cornerstones of Romantic music: Edward Elgar’s lyrical Cello Concerto and Antonín Dvořák’s powerful New World Symphony. The evening opens with an energetic spark – Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Tormiloits (Incantation of the Tempest), a work dedicated to Veljo Tormis. The orchestra is led by Chief Conductor Olari Elts, with the world-renowned Hungarian cellist István Várdai as soloist for the Elgar concerto.
In January, ERSO welcomes the distinguished conductor Andrew Manze, celebrated for his expertise in both early and Romantic music. The concert opens with the atmospheric tone poem Serenade to Music by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The evening features the Estonian premiere of Symphony No. 8 by London-based Estonian composer Mihkel Kerem – a work Manze has previously recorded with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The second half offers Johannes Brahms’ pastorally idyllic Second Symphony, filled with charming folk-like melodies and dance motifs.
The April concert focuses on Romanticism and symphonic sea-poetry. The soloist for Frédéric Chopin’s popular Piano Concerto No. 1 is Havryil Sydoryk, winner of last year’s “Classical Stars” competition. Despite being a teenager, the virtuoso is already an experienced performer. Dutch conductor Bas Wiegers leads the second half with impressionistic maritime works: Jean Sibelius’ mythological poem The Oceanides and Claude Debussy’s exquisite tonal portrait La Mer. The concert opens with a new work by the young composer Madli Marje Gildemann.
The season’s final chords are traditionally struck by ERSO’s Honorary Principal Conductor Neeme Järvi, who brings a bright selection of spring classics to the stage this May. Joining the maestro by special invitation is the charming pianist Anna Shelest, who will perform as a soloist in three works: Rudolf Tobias’s Piano Concerto and Eduard Tubin’s Concertino from the treasury of Estonian classics, as well as Richard Strauss’s youthfully bravura Burleske. From the works of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Neeme Järvi has selected the popular and romantic suite Mozartiana.
I: ELTS AND DVOŘÁK’S NINTH
Friday, 11 December 2026 at 7 p.m. at the Estonia Concert Hall
Erkki-Sven Tüür
Incantation of the Tempest
Edward Elgar
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 9 From the New World in E minor, Op. 95
ISTVÁN VÁRDAI cello, ERSO, conductor OLARI ELTS
II: ANDREW MANZE AND BRAHMS
Friday, 15 January 2027 at 7 p.m. at the Estonia Concert Hall
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Serenade to Music (orchestral version)
Mihkel Kerem
Symphony No. 8
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 2 D major, Op. 73
ERSO, conductor ANDREW MANZE
III: HAVRYIL AND CHOPIN
Friday, 23 April 2027 at 6 p.m. (pre-concert) and at 7 p.m. at the Estonia Concert Hall
Madli Marje Gildemann
New work
Frédéric Chopin
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
Jean Sibelius
Tone poem The Oceanides, Op. 73
Claude Debussy
La Mer three symphonic sketches
HAVRYIL SYDORYK piano, ERSO, conductor BAS WIEGERS
IV: NEEME JÄRVI AND THE SPRINGTIME CLASSICS
Friday, 7 May 2027 at 7 p.m. at the Estonia Concert Hall
Rudolf Tobias
Piano Concerto in D minor
Eduard Tubin
Concertino for Piano and Orchestra in E-flat major
Richard Strauss
Burleske in D minor
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Suite No. 4 Mozartiana, Op. 61
ANNA SHELEST piano, ERSO, conductor NEEME JÄRVI
CONCERT SERIES PRICES:
Category I tickets: €180 / €150*
Category II tickets: €135 / €105*
Category III tickets: €114 / €84*
Category IV tickets: €75 / €45*
A concert series ticket includes admission to four concerts.
*Discounted prices apply to students, university students, and pensioners upon presentation of a valid ID at the ticket check.
Some Category IV tickets may be for seats with limited visibility.
BY PURCHASING THE CONCERT SERIES, YOU SAVE 25% in each price category — that’s 1 concert ticket for free!