Klaveri pärastlõuna. Lauri Väinmaa (Klaver)

Sat 24 October 2026 at 18:00, Pärnu St Elizabeth’s Church AFTERNOON OF PIANO MUSIC Lauri Väinmaa (piano) Programme: Beethoven, Pärt, Schubert   The piano works heard in this concert form a musical journey connecting different eras, where spiritual depth meets pianistic virtuosity. Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue combines improvisational freedom with contrapuntal mastery, while Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata reveals classical form with unprecedented energy and a wealth of tone colours. Pärt’s early sonatinas reflect his creative explorations, while his later piano pieces convey the quiet, focused sound world of the tintinnabuli style. Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnets and variations on a theme by Bach bring together Romantic expressiveness and virtuosity, taking the listener from suffering to spiritual illumination.   Lauri Väinmaa (1961) is an Estonian pianist and teacher, known especially as an interpreter of 20th-century and contemporary music and the music of Beethoven. The works of Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt and composers of the Second Viennese School hold an important place in his repertoire. Väinmaa graduated from Tallinn Music High School and worked there as a piano teacher from 1985 to 1995. Since 1987, he has taught piano at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Alongside an active concert career, he regularly gives masterclasses in Estonia and abroad.   Lauri Väinmaa is highly regarded as a pianist, teacher and organiser of musical life. His repertoire includes nearly all of Beethoven’s piano works. He has made recordings for Warner Brothers, other record labels and several radio stations, including the BBC in London. Väinmaa has performed in the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic states and elsewhere. He has collaborated with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands, Latvian and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestras, and other orchestras. Since 2001, Lauri Väinmaa has performed in a piano duo with Piret Väinmaa.   Lauri Väinmaa teaches at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and gives masterclasses in Italy, Norway, Finland and elsewhere. He was the founder and artistic director of the international KLAVER festival from 1998 to 2016. Väinmaa is an outstanding performer of contemporary music. His repertoire includes all of Arvo Pärt’s and Alfred Schnittke’s piano works. He has premiered works by Estonian composers Eino Tamberg, Jaan Rääts, Toivo Tulev, Urmas Sisask, Peeter Vähi and Ülo Krigul.   Lauri Väinmaa graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory, where he studied piano with Mikhail Pletnev and Lev Vlassenko, and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Christopher Elton and at the Tallinn State Conservatory under Bruno Lukk. He won the 3rd Estonian Pianists’ Competition and the Minsk Inter-Republic Pianists’ Competition. He has received special prizes at the Scottish and William Kapell international competitions.   The concert lasts approximately 1 hour. Latecomers will not be admitted. Photography and filming are not permitted. The concert series includes an audience education programme for students, in which a group of students and their accompanying teacher or other group leader may attend the concert free of charge. To join the programme, please contact us at [contact details withheld] [[contact details withheld]] In cooperation with: Estonian Cultural Endowment, City of Pärnu, EELK Pärnu St Elizabeth’s Congregation, City of Tartu, EELK Tartu University St John’s Congregation, Autorfest, Pärnu Opera. MUSICA SACRA is a concert series whose aim is to present new works, give performers the opportunity to realise artistically vivid concert programmes, bring high-calibre guest musicians to perform alongside Estonians, and take concert projects beyond Estonia. Concerts take place on Saturdays at six o’clock at Pärnu St Elizabeth’s Church. The series is organised by Pärnu Opera, and its artistic director is Andrus Kallastu. Please pay the €15 recording supporter ticket fee to Pärnu Opera’s Swedbank account: Payee: PÄRNU OOPERISELTS Account: EE382200221016501589 Payment reference: SALVESTUSE TOETAJAPÄÄSE Founded on 5 January 1993, Pärnu Opera has offered high-quality music-making and intriguing theatrical solutions through productions of many kinds. In addition to the standard repertoire of music history, Pärnu Opera’s concerts and performances include mystery-like sacred compositions, contemporary opera, performances, multimedia productions, dramatised concerts and experimental musical theatre. At the heart of Pärnu Opera is the international Repoo Ensemble, made up of composers, performers, writers, visual artists, actors and other creative people. Pärnu Opera organises the SUVEAARIA festival and the MUSICA SACRA concert series, whose concerts take place in Pärnu St Elizabeth’s Church, known for its excellent acoustics. Pärnu Opera’s artistic director is composer and conductor Andrus Kallastu.