Estonian Record Productions

Estonian Record Productions (abbreviation ERP) is one of the most versatile Estonian music production companies. The company was founded on March 1st, 2001. As expressed by the name, the main activity first was record production and only later, affiliated areas were added like producing music festivals and concerts, acting as artist management, music publishing, art of notation and specialised travel services for musicians. Since the very beginning Peeter Vähi has been the artistic director and Tiina Jokinen the managing director of the establishment.

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Recordings

Since 2001 ERP has released records under its own label but the majority of production has been made for foreign record companies or labels like Warner Classics/Finlandia Records, Erdenklang, CCn’C, Da Music, CPO, Antes Edition, Edition 49, InProdicon et al. Though the main activity here is still CD production, since 2005 vinyl records are strongly claiming back their righful place. Recordings for non-physical release, i.e. for internet downloads have become actual as well. Audio-visual recording (DVD) release is under way.

Of more important recordings the following might be worthy of special mentioning: „Estonia – 100” – a jubilee collection consisting of 11 CDs, double CDs „100 Years of Estonian Symphony” and „Nordic Legends”, opera by Eino Tamberg „Cyrano de Bergerac”, DVDs „Paavo Järvi conducts EUYO at Glasperlenspiel Festival” and „Wallenberg. An Opera by Erkki-Sven Tüür”, an LP of Tallinn Chamber Orchestra „A Chant of Bamboo”. In addition to the afore-mentioned, ERP has produced soundtracks for several TV programs and films, among the latter being the sensational movie „Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”.

Music Festivals

ERP arranges two regular music festivals: Eastern music festival „Orient” and in co-operation with city of Tartu festival „Glasperlenspiel”. Though the home base for both festivals is Estonia, during the recent years a considerable number of concerts have taken place also in Latvia, Finland, Sweden and St. Petersburg.

„Orient” is the first and so far only festival in the Baltic countries that is solely dedicated to Asian music, the main focus being on folk and sacred as well as traditional classical music. The festival has featured the most prominent Oriental musicians like the Indian flautist Hari Prasad Chaurasia, sitarists Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, the Japanese giant drums’ ensemble „Kodô”, the Tuvinian guttural singers „Huun-Huur-Tu”, Tibetan Buddhists monks of Gyuto and Gyudmed monasteries, the Turkish percussionist Burhan Öçal, the Armenian dudukist Jivan Gasparyan, the Azeri muqam-singer Alim Qasimov.

Festival is inspired by Herman Hesse’s novel, and its content, instigating the festival to look upon and present music from unusual angles, occasionally tied to a literary or religious, or filosophical-aesthetical or some other new background. These are displayed through titles such as „Nietzsche contra Wagner”, „Mozart & Salieri”, „Da Vinci Code”, „Jungle Book of Baroque”, „Carmina Burana Speciale”, „End of the Era of Composers”, „Music for Glass Harmonica”, „Freemasonic Music”. The Australian Chamber orchestra, the Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra, West-Deutsche Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Choir, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Piotr Andreszewski, Olli Mustonen, Christopher Eschenbach and others, as well as most leading Estonian musicians have performed at „Glasperlenspiel”.

Artist Management

ERP represents performers fully or partially (in certain countries or as a co-agency) in two different fields - classical and ethnic music. ERP’s artist list includes, Grigoryan Guitar Duo, Cristofori Piano Quartet Amsterdam, guitarist Rémi Boucher, flute-bassoon duo „Martinika”, tenor Mati Turi, pianist-harpsichordist Irina Zahharenkova, pianist Vardo Rumessen, conductor Risto Joost, mixed choir „Latvija”, chamber orchestra „Kremerata Baltica” directed by Gidon Kremer, and ensemble „Jouissance” as well as ethnic musicians of Asian heritage.

References

* Parhomenko, Eduard, [http://www.ekspress.ee/viewdoc/1EC104C14E901EA3C2256ED30028EEE7 Une promesse du bonheur. Muusikafestival „Klaaspärlimäng” kui filosoofiline institutsioon] , in Eesti Ekspress (Tallinn, Estonia, 21.07.2004)

External links

* [http://www.erpmusic.com Official website of ERP]
* [http://www.concert.ee/index.php?sisu=tekst&mid=226&lang=eng Festival „Klaaspärlimäng“]
* [http://kadmusarts.com/festivals/802.html Festival „Orient“]