During Niguliste Organ Week, the museum will host beautiful music, a visit to the organ balcony and exciting lectures
The XXXVIII International Niguliste Organ Week, which runs from the first to the seventh of January, will feature evening concerts and a daily programme showcasing the finest works of medieval and early modern art, accompanied by music. Professor Andres Uibo is the festival’s organiser and artistic director.
The opening event of Organ Week is a concert on 1 January at 17:00 entitled More Than Royal. Three Trumpets and Two Organs. The organ and trumpet have always been considered a royal combination, as they have graced the most festive events of European royalty. Priit Aimla, Martin Pajumaa and Samuel Jalakas will play the trumpets in the opening concert, while Andres Uibo and Kadri Toomoja will play the organ. Music by Henry Purcell, Georg Philipp Telemann, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck and Johann Sebastian Bach will be performed.
On the following evenings, music lovers can enjoy the Annum per annum concert by Vox Clamantis and the organist Toomas Trass, organ concerts by Edouard Oganessian (France) and Matteo Imbruno (the Netherlands), and three violin and three cello concerts. On the evening of 5 January, Johann Sebastian Bach’s study trip to Lübeck will be revived. The organ will be played by Andres Uibo and Tiit Kiik, with interludes read by Harry Liivrand. The closing concert will feature a chamber orchestra and the organists Matteo Imbruno (the Netherlands) and Rusudan Chuntishvili (Georgia), with the soloists Mari-Liis Uibo (violin), Andres Mustonen (violin and conductor) and Alvar Tiisler (bass).
“November marked 40 years since the opening of the Niguliste Museum. The museum has the most important collection of medieval and early modern art in Estonia, and it has also been the venue for a lot of music. In 1987, Andres Uibo initiated the Niguliste Organ Week, which grew into the Tallinn International Organ Festival. With its long tradition, the festival is one of the landmark events of the Niguliste Museum and has been held again in recent years under its original name,” said Merike Kurisoo, Director of the Niguliste Museum.
Every day from 2 to 7 January, the art historian Tarmo Saaret will give short lectures on historical works of art at the Niguliste Museum at 14:00. The lectures will be followed by musical performances celebrating the selected artworks, offered on six consecutive days by Robert Staak (lute), Kristi Mühling (flute), Aare Tammesalu (cello), Anna-Liisa Eller (bagpipes), Arvo Leibur (violin) and Toomas Trass (choir organ). The encounters, which combine art history and music, will last about half an hour.
Every day at 15:00, the public can visit the organ balcony together with the organists Andres Uibo and Tiit Kiik. At 16.00 there are organ recitals with Aivar Sõerd, Erich-Johann Kullamäe, Olga Opryshko, Ulla Krigul, Piret Aidulo and Markus Wimmer.
Tickets for the evening concerts are on sale at Piletilevi and at the door before the concert. All daytime events, i.e. the lectures starting at 14:00, the organ balcony visits and the organ recitals are included in the price of a museum ticket.
The festival has been organised in cooperation with the International Society of Artur Kapp.
See the full festival programme here.