Estonian National Male Choir to premiere Joel Järventausta work

The Estonian National Male Choir will open its season with the premiere of “Helmi”, or “Pearl”, by Finnish composer Joel Järventausta, ERR reported.

The programme, selected by guest conductor Nils Schweckendiek, centres on works by Finnish composers and composers living in Finland. It also includes music by F. Pacius, J. Tiensuu and A. Freeman, alongside Järventausta’s composition.

Saale Fischer, head of the Estonian National Male Choir, said “Pearl” was commissioned by the choir and inspired by a 2026 short poem of the same name by the composer’s mother, Saija Järventausta. The poem describes a pearl held in the warm embrace of the seabed, expressing peace, beauty and a sense of security, as well as sadness through music.

Järventausta, who was born in 1995, recently received the Teosto Prize from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. His works have been performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Schweckendiek, a German-born conductor, will lead the opening concerts in Tallinn and Tartu. He has served as artistic director of the Helsinki Chamber Choir since 2007, with contemporary music at the centre of his work.

Estonian audiences know Schweckendiek from his 2024 concerts with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. He has also conducted the RIAS Chamber Choir, the SWR Vocal Ensemble, most Finnish orchestras and numerous professional choirs in Spain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and Croatia.