Artur Kapp (1878-1952, Estonia)

[Claude Torres]

Just 2 points.

I have just tested Artur Kapp Hiob search and the video
"Artur Kapp - Suur oled Sa! oratooriumist Hiiob" appears in position 8.
The complete oratorio is not available on Youtube

The word Hiob or Hiiob is not really an estonian name but the trancription of the hebrew pronunciation of the prophet name.
There is also an oratorio by Erich Zeisl called and written "Hiob" (1939)
See wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_(biblical_figure)

C.T.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have just tested Artur Kapp Hiob search and the video
"Artur Kapp - Suur oled Sa! oratooriumist Hiiob" appears in position 8.

This is the youtube file that Eric located for me. As I said, thoroughly enjoyable - impressive, even. A pity the complete oratorio is not available on youtube, and the recording is now vastly expensive!

[eschiss1]

Yes. And I was writing in response to the claim "The complete oratorio is available on YouTube", and assumed Mr. Torres was as well (I'll have to make myself clearer in future- though I imagined I had...)

[Christopher]

It may have been removed from youtube - it was some years ago that I saw it there. 

Another work of Artur Kapp's that I greatly enjoy is his Concerto for clarinet, horn and orchestra in C minor.  I don't know if it's on amazon, etc, but you can buy it here - http://muusika24.ee/Muusika/album/Kontsert-klarnetile-metsasarvele-ja-orkestrile-c-moll - the third and final movement is particularly joyful.  You can listen to a bit of it by clicking Play.

The website is a good resource for a lot of Estonian music - though it seems not to have the complete oratorio on it.  It does have the Last Confession section ("Viimne Piht" in Estonian) for solo organ -2 different recordings - http://muusika24.ee/Muusika/artist/Artur-Kapp/soundAuthor  .

Each track on the website can be purchased for €0.85 each, not too bad!

In Estonia he's perhaps most famous for a song, 3 minutes long, called Metsateel ("On A Road Through The Woods"). Many versions on youtube.

[Dave]

Kapp's First Symphony is pretty wonderful (including the finale with its theme et variations, that particular form Kapp excelled at). His other three are pretty good in their own rights.

[mikehopf]

The oratorio is still available in a complete recording  conducted by Järvi from 2009 on Dutch Radio Concertzender.

Please don't write in complaining that I left off the umlaut .

[Alan Howe]

You didn't 

[rmnmds]

There seems to be some confusion in previous posts about Viimne piht/The Last Confession and I hope I can clarify the matter. It was originally written in 1905 for violin and organ and appears in same form in the oratorio Hiiob/Job. There are two orchestral versions of the piece from the late '90s made after the oratorio was revived in 1997, one by Charles Coleman (who has arranged other Estonian music [Eller, Tubin] for Järvi clan) for violin and string orchestra, the other by Vardo Rumessen for violin and symphony orchestra.

The performance of Coleman's arrangement posted by Christopher dates from 2000 Pärnu Oistrakh Festival (July 15, 2000, St. Elizabeth's Church, Pärnu, to be exact :p).

[Christopher]

Thank you for this extra information rmnmds.  So, the one I posted was the arrangement by Coleman for violin and string orchestra?

Do you know if recordings have been made of the other arrangement which you mention (Vardo Rumessen's for violin and symphony orchestra)?

[rmnmds]

So, the one I posted was the arrangement by Coleman for violin and string orchestra?

Yes.

Do you know if recordings have been made of the other arrangement which you mention (Vardo Rumessen's for violin and symphony orchestra)?

I would have guessed no, but decided to check and was surprised to find Rumessen's arrangement has been recorded. It says here that in August 2002 edition of International Record Review there's a review by Martin Anderson for Job which mentions an upcoming CD of orchestral works by A. Kapp, conducted by Paavo Järvi and including the Rumessen orchestration.

The recording was made (together with Fantasy on the Theme B-A-C-H for violin and orchestra and Prelude for cello and orchestra) after a 2001 performance (confirmed here), but the release never happened.

[Christopher]

How infuriating.  I wonder if a few pilot copies of the CD were made....

[Alan Howe]

Is this the CD?>>>
http://www.emic.ee/artur-kapp-symphonische-werke-3

[Christopher]

I don't think so because the conductor is Arvo Volmer, not Paavo jarvi, and it doesn't mention a recording of The Last Confession. I have been looking to see if it's listed on www.ester.ee - a catalogue that, as far as I can tell, lists all recordings held by Estonian state institutions (National Library, national radio stations, universities, etc).  No luck so far...

I guess another route would be to try and contact Paavo Jarvi and/or Vardo Rumessen - I have emailed an address given on www.paavojarvi.com but it remains to see if there will be any reply!

[Christopher]

I've just found there's a 2-minute fragment of the Rumessen version on EMIC. (The whole piece is about 7 minutes long.)

The page is http://www.emic.ee/?sisu=heliloojad&mid=58&id=27&lang=eng&action=view&method=teosed  - and the fragment is http://www.emic.ee/failid/mp3/1394548672.mp3

The page source suggests the artists are: Sigrid Kuulmann (violin), Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Neeme Järvi.

I have written to EMIC asking if they have the whole recording.

[Alan Howe]

Oh, well done. Do keep us informed.