Eduard Tubin: Chamber Music – Triin Ruubel

To mark the 120th anniversary of Estonia’s national composer Eduard Tubin, this exuberant chamber music programme, including two world premiere recordings, traces Tubin’s life, which is clearly marked by the dramatic upheavals of the 20th century.

Early works side by side with late compositions show deep insights into the artist’s soul – we hear his inner struggles, his development and his joys in top-class interpretations by pianist Kart Ruubel and her twin sister Triin, violin, as well as Xandi van Dijk, viola and Theodor Sink, cello.

In 1944, Tubin fled from the Red Army to Sweden; his music was later banned in Soviet Estonia. After returning many years later he was shocked at how much his homeland had changed. It was in this context that he composed the Sonata for Viola and Piano – an outstanding work: profound, authentic and full of inner conviction.

The Piano Quartet shows us a young Tubin – passionate, emotional and full of life. The dense sound texture combines a panoply of colours, melodies and forms of expression to create an exciting chamber music experience.