Eino Tamberg (27 May 1930 – 24 December 2010) was an Estonian composer whose works are performed internationally. He composed operas such as ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th ce ...

'', four symphonies, and several concertos. He taught composition for decades at the Estonian Academy of Music.

Life

Tamberg was born in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. He studied composition with Eugen Kapp at the Tallinn Conservatory, graduating in 1953. He worked as music director at the Tallinn Drama Theatre from 1952, and as a sound engineer for the Estonian Radio from 1953 to 1957. As a composer, he first became known with his song cycle (1955) based on poetry by

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; ; ; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet and Classical Liberalism, liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary's national poet, and was one of the key figures of the Hungari ...

, and with his ''

Concerto Grosso The concerto grosso (; Italian for ''big concert(o)'', plural ''concerti grossi'' ) is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the '' concertino'') and full orchestra (the '' ripieno'', '' ...

'' (1956), for which he won a gold medal at an international music festival in Moscow. Tamberg was an important initiator of the anti-romantic composition movement of the late 1950s. His vision for music composition belonged to the so-called ''New Wave'' in Estonian music. He became more known outside Estonia from approximately 1960, writing music for a large variety of genres, but in particular for theatre and symphonic music. Since 1969, he has taught at the Estonian Academy of Music, where he was appointed professor in 1983. Among his students were Raimo Kangro, Margo Kõlar, Urmas Lattikas, Alo Mattiisen, Toivo Tulev, Peeter Vähi and Mari Vihmand. For the 1997/98 season he was composer-in-residence with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. He died in Tallinn.

Work

Tamberg was one of the most important representatives of

neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

in Estonian music, though his later works were more expressionistic in style. Two of Tamberg's notable works are the ballet ''Joanna tentata'' (1971) and the ''Trumpet Concerto No. 1'' (1972). The Trumpet Concerto remains one of his most popular works and was performed not only in Europe, but also in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore, and was recorded by Philip Smith with The New York Philharmonic and by Håkan Hardenberger. Tamberg also wrote four symphonies, a

violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

(1981), saxophone concerto (1987),

clarinet concerto A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...

(1996), a second trumpet concerto (1997), bassoon concerto (2000) and

cello concerto A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments. These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike instru ...

(2001). His second opera, ''

,'' premiered in 1976. This romantic work shows the influence of early

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

conventions and

bel canto , )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...

singing. It consists of three acts and an

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...

(Op. 45) and was written in 1974 using a libretto by Jaan Kross, based on the play by

Edmond Rostand Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (, , ; 1 April 1868 – 2 December 1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with th ...

. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

in 1995, he wrote his ''Celebration Fanfares'', which premiered in New York City and was conducted by

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian Americans, Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevge ...

. He was awarded an Estonian State Cultural Award in 2007 for his lifetime achievements.

Compositions

* (''Prince Gabriel''), suite, 1955 * ''

'', Op. 5, 1956 * Ballet Symphony, 1959 * (''The Boy and the Butterfly''), ballet, 1963 * (''Iron Home''), opera, 1965 * Music for the film (''To the Cold Land''), 1965 * ''Joanna tentata'', ballet, 1970 * Trumpet Concerto, 1972 * ''

'', opera, 1974 * Symphony No. 1, 1978 * ''Amores'', oratorio, 1981 * Symphony No. 2, 1982 * ''Lend'' (''The Fly''), opera, 1983 * Symphony No. 3, 1987 * ''Fanfare'' (''Celebration Fanfares''), 1995 * ''Sentimental Journey with a Clarinet'', 1996 * ''Desiderium Concordia'' (''Longing for Unity''), after 1997 * Symphony No. 4, 1998

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamberg, Eino 1930 births 2010 deaths Musicians from Tallinn Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union Estonian opera composers Estonian male classical composers Male opera composers 20th-century Estonian composers 20th-century Estonian male musicians Soviet composers Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni People's Artists of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Honoured Workers of the Arts Industry of the Estonian SSR Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 4th Class