Welcome to the 10th Estonian Harpsichord Festival, 16-23 April 2016!
Estonian Harpsichord Society is happy to welcome you to experience refined interpretation of old and contemporary masterpieces.
In cozy venues of Tallinn historical downtown, the festival programme offers recitals of today’s world most renowned harpsichordists such as
Mahan Esfahani (Iran/USA),
Patrick Ayrton (Netherlands),
Elaine Funaro (USA),
Anna Maria McElwain (Finland)
Jean Rondeau (France)
Make sur you don’t miss French prodigy Jean Rondeau’s concert, organised in partnership with the French Institute:
Wednesday 20th April, 6pm, Kultuurikatel (DANSE. L’Acte Des Métamorphoses, J. S. Bach, J.-Ph. Rameau, P. Royer)
With his electric-shock hair and Paris Conservatoire musical education, Jean Rondeau is on a mission to make the harpsichord hip.
In its 17th-century heyday, the harpsichord provided the accompaniment to palace intrigue and courtships. However, the harpsichord fell out of favour as the piano, which was perceived as offering more tonal variety, began its dominance. Now Rondeau, 23, plans to return it to centre stage, while his brooding looks make him the latest “sex symbol” in the classical firmament.
Rondeau, discovered the harpsichord aged six, won first prize at the Bruges International Harpsichord Competition, where critics praised “a virtuosity that allows him to dash off lightning appoggiaturas, phrasing that nourishes and refreshes the drama, lively, ardent, captivating and always dynamically charged”. Rondeau also breaks with classical convention by breaking off to talk to the audience between pieces.
He says, “It is not a ‘heavy-sounding’ instrument in the concert hall, but there are some really emotional compositions in baroque music.” “I’m proud that the harpsichord is featured in rock and pop. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones used the sound,” Rondeau says. “So did Led Zeppelin and Queen. It can do a lot of things.”
In patrtnership with the Fench Institute in Estonia