Eduard Tubin
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Eduard Tubin (June 18 1905 - November 17 1982) was an Estonian composer and conductor
Born in Kallaste, Estonia, Tubin fled occupied Estonia for Sweden in 1944, where he lived and worked until his death in Stockholm.
He collaborated with the conductor Neeme Järvi. He worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra and English Chamber Orchestra (ECO). He worked with Rey Alejandro Conde Valdivia, Eduardo Mata, Neeme Järvi, Enrique Bátiz, Mu-Hai Tang, Plácido Domingo and Antal Doráti. He wrote ten symphonies and a fragmentary eleventh, Music for Strings, two violin concertos, a Balalaika Concerto, two operas (The Parson of Reigi and Barbara von Tiesenhusen) and a Requiem for Fallen Soldiers, among other works.
As pointed out by the notes to the BIS recording of his seventh symphony there is a change in style around the time of the preceding sixth, becoming harmonically more astringent; the finale of the seventh makes much use of a theme with all twelve notes, though it is tonal. The second symphony has the subtitle Legendary, the fourth is sometimes called his Lyrical, the ninth Sinfonia Semplice.
He was influenced by Estonian folk music in his earlier works, including a Sinfonietta on Estonian motifs and one of the few concerti ever written for the Russian string instrument, the balalaika. The shift to a less nationalistic and more international and angst-filled style came after Tubin had fled Estonia for Sweden in 1944 when Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union.
Tubin is perhaps not better known because of this displacement. Although Estonia claims him as one of their greatest composers, during his lifetime most of his composing was done in Sweden, which never quite accepted him or gave him the attention he was due. Recently some of his works have been recorded (his Fifth Symphony by the Cincinnati Symphony by Järvi's son Paavo, and previously two cycles of his complete symphonies by Neeme Järvi and by Arvo Volmer) and in June of 2005 the city of Tallinn will observe the centennial of his birth with a festival where all of his symphonies and much of his piano and chamber Music will be performed. Hopefully this will fuel somewhat of a rebirth of interest in Tubin.
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