Muska releases album honouring Estonian satirist Olaf Kopvillem

Estonian electronic folk music pioneer Olev Muska has released “Tšimmairuudiralla,” an album honouring exiled Estonian cabaret performer and satirist Olaf Kopvillem on what would have been his 100th birthday, ERR reported.

Kopvillem, who lived from 1926 to 1997, was a sharp-witted chronicler of the Estonian exile community. His songs and cabaret pieces helped preserve the Estonian language and a sense of self-criticism through humour, ERR said.

Muska said Kopvillem’s work shaped his own musical approach. In the 1960s, Muska’s father bought a new radio-gramophone in Australia so the family could play records from the Estonian exile community, mainly in Canada. Muska said Kopvillem’s playful, witty and satirical contributions to Estonian culture left a deep mark on his own colourful, comic and provocative style.

Muska brings his “uncompromising musical vision,” fine humour and playful electronics to the album, according to ERR. His synthesised arrangements of regilaul and folk music in the early 1980s helped establish a distinct genre.

The album was released on CD and digital platforms in Canada through a partnership between VEMU, the Estonian Museum in Canada, and Tallinn record label Glitch Please. It will be presented in Toronto on November 6 at the “Accompanied by Song – Olaf Kopvillem 100” conference, which brings together musicians and researchers from Estonia, Canada and Australia. Vaiko Eplik, Katariina Tirmaste and Erik Laar are among the other performers.