ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR

Prophecy (2007) by the contemporary Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür is a one-movement Concerto for accordion and orchestra. The composer divided it into three sections named “visions”. With this work, he examines the societal tradition of prophets and clairvoyants in various cultures. According to Tüür, society treats “such people with respect or disdain, and sometimes regards them as being hazardous or even amusingly insane”. In trying to convey the approaches of these cultural traditions, the composer uses contrasting dynamics, energetic and complex musical language and rich orchestral texture saturated with cluster sonorities. It is a virtuoso piece for an accordionist to whom Tüür proffers an absolutely individual character that has nothing to do with the accordion sound we associate with tango music and so on.

Brimming with prophecies, this intriguing opus is performed by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, led by maestro Modestas Pitrėnas, and soloist Martynas Levickis, an internationally acclaimed accordionist.