XVI Inernational Tartu Early Music Festival ORIENT et OCCIDENT

One of the main guests at this year's Tartu Early Music Festival ORIENT et OCCIDENT is the Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra from China. Members of the orchestra are top musicians and most of them are professors and teachers in the Chinese Conservatory of Music and other leading music conservatories. In that performance one can hear almost all the important instruments in Chinese traditional music in the forms which have made their way through centuries up to the present day. Another special guest playing Asian music is the ensemble Chakad from Iran. Persian classical music and music instruments have influenced directly or indirectly the development of North-Indian, Chinese, Arab as well as Medieval European tradition of instrumental music. Mosaic for Gothic harp played by Lilian Langsepp will give an opportunity to experience the delicate world of sound of the 15^th century. Besides their extremely interesting and deeply spiritual repertoire of early Russian Orthodox Chant performed by Russki Lad, one can also hear traditional folk and instrumental music performed by Russki ObõtÅ¡ai. The festival will end with a concert by German percussion virtuoso David Kuckhermann who will perform solos and improvisations on different frame drums and riq as well as cajon and hang – an instrument developed only ten years ago in Switzerland and which can be used both as percussion as well as melody instrument. Both traditional music cultures and early music performance practices are in constant development. And this is not just in order to understand and recreate the music better, it is to communicate the timeless message to us here and now – and what these traditions have got to tell!

Wishing an enjoyable and memorable festival experience,

Raho Langsepp

Artistic Director of the festival