Jürjendal likens musical career to an unknown journey

Composer and guitarist Robert Jürjendal told ERR’s Vikerraadio that being a musician is like travelling without knowing what lies beyond the next bend. Jürjendal has released seven solo albums and dozens of collaborative records, which he describes as very different worlds.

“Every solo album has been a separate event in my life,” he said. Jürjendal added that new landscapes, experiences and people continually influence his work. The audience also plays an important role, he said, describing music as part of a constant exchange between life and creativity.

Jürjendal wrote his first compositions while studying classical guitar at the Georg Ots Music School. He attended composition classes taught by Anti Margus, where he created his earliest works.

While he once recorded music at the Estonian Radio studio, he now works with simple equipment and does not use a computer. His solo albums have been recorded by ear, using headphones or sometimes without them, he said.

Jürjendal also writes music for choirs and orchestras. His choral works have been performed by the Estonian National Male Choir, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the Ellerhein girls’ choir, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Sinfonietta.

He said his intensive career as a guitarist, marked by numerous collaborative projects and recordings, prompted him to write more music himself. Composing changed his role, he said: instead of being on stage, he could listen to his music from the audience and hear it through the thoughts and actions of other performers.

Jürjendal initially experimented with smaller ensembles before developing an interest in choral music. He said that three years spent with the Estonian National Male Choir played a key role. During that time, he closely observed conductor Ants Soots and visiting conductors, listening for why some music sounded especially effective.

He said it was important to create music rather than construct it intellectually. In his view, a work born from the joy and urge to create differs from music assembled through a calculated process, including with the help of computers.