PROGRAMME

Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
Rückert-Lieder / Rückert Songs

Rudolf Tobias (1873–1918)
Eks teie tea / You Do Not Know
Meie elu / Our Life

Artur Lemba (1885–1963)
Miks nõnda valjusti / Why So Loudly
Me lahkunud / We Have Departed

Artur Kapp (1878–1952)
Metsateel / On the Forest Path
Üks ainus kord / Only Once
Sa oled mu südame suvi / You Are the Summer of My Heart

Villem Kapp (1913–1964)
Kui lõpeb suvepäeva viimne vine / When the Last Day of Summer Ends

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
Siete Canciones Populares Españolas / Seven Spanish Folk Songs
El Paño Moruno / Moorish Cloth
Seguidilla murciana / Murcian Seguidilla
Asturiana / Asturian Song
Jota
Nana / Lullaby
Canción / Song
Polo

Mezzo-soprano MONIKA-EVELIN LIIV began her music studies at Tõrva Singing Studio and continued at Georg Ots Tallinn Music School in T. Bachmann’s singing class. In 2007, she graduated in vocal performance from EMTA under Prof. M. Palm. Liiv furthered her studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music under S. Stonytė and participated in the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre Summer Academy for Young Singers in Mikkeli (2005). She has also attended masterclasses with I. Gavrilovici, M. Acda, L. Gergijeva, H. Hölli, M. Cleva, V. Atlantov, and J. Goldberg. Liiv won 3rd prize at the Mart Saar Singing Competition (2002) and 2nd prize at the international singing competition Studio bel canto (2006). From 2007–2009, Liiv participated in the Royal Opera House London Young Artists Program Jette Parker Young Artists. She made her debut at the Royal Opera House as Flora (Verdi La traviata) alongside renowned opera singers such as A. Netrebko, J. Kaufmann, and D. Hvorostovsky. She has also performed roles including Second Lady (Mozart The Magic Flute), Mércèdes (Bizet Carmen), Second Maid (Strauss Elektra), Ines (Verdi Il Trovatore), Artist (Berg Lulu), Jelena Ivanova Popova (Walton The Bear, Linbury Studio Theatre). Liiv has also sung as a guest at RO Estonia, Finnish National Opera, Israeli Opera, Saaremaa Opera Days, Opéra de Baugé Summer Festival (France), and others. Her repertoire also includes Cherubino (Mozart The Marriage of Figaro), Olga (Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin), Polina (Tchaikovsky The Queen of Spades), Voice from Above (Wagner Parsifal), Maid and Unborn Child’s Voice (Strauss Die Frau ohne Schatten), Julius Caesar and Cornelia (Handel Julius Caesar), Suzuki (Puccini Madama Butterfly), Rinaldo (Handel Rinaldo), Amneris (Verdi Aida), and Mrs. Herring (Britten Albert Herring). As a soloist, she has participated in major works such as Prokofiev’s cantata Alexander Nevsky, Mozart’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Penderecki’s oratorio Credo, Haydn’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and performed the mezzo-soprano part in the orchestral version of de Falla’s ballet El amor brujo. She has performed with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, RO Estonia Symphony Orchestra, Costa Rica National Orchestra, Royal Opera House London Orchestra, Orchestre de Picardie, and Southbank Sinfonia, collaborating with conductors C. Spierer, M. Elder, P. Hesketh, C. Rizzi, A. Pappano, J. Andrew, S. Ranzani, K.-L. Wilson, D. Oren, J. Latham-Koenig, E. Klas, A. Volmer, A. Mustonen, S. Moore, M. Franck, and A. Griffiths. Liiv appears on two Royal Opera House DVDs: Flora in Verdi La traviata (2011) and the Artist in Berg Lulu (2010). She has won the Estonian Theatre Annual Award twice: in 2013 for Cornelia and Julius Caesar in Handel’s opera Julius Caesar (RO Estonia), and in 2017 for the powerful portrayal of Amneris in Verdi’s Aida (RO Estonia). She received the Estonian Cultural Endowment Music Fund Annual Award for outstanding performances on international opera and concert stages (2015). Monika-Evelin Liiv received the Estonian Cultural Endowment Music Fund Annual Award for outstanding opera roles on international stages and solo performances domestically and abroad (2022).

RALF TAAL graduated from Tallinn Music High School and EMTA. In 1993, he won first place in the young pianists’ competition dedicated to Edvard Grieg’s 150th birthday. In 1994, he won the national pianists’ competition and the young performers’ competition-festival Con brio, and was a scholarship recipient of Eesti Kontsert in 1994/1995. In 1995, he received a special award as the youngest finalist at the Schubert International Piano Competition in Dortmund. Taal has been a soloist with nearly all Estonian orchestras and has performed numerous solo concerts. He has collaborated with conductors E. Klas, P. Järvi, O. Elts, A. Volmer, T. Kaljuste, A. Tali, and others. His solo programs mainly feature Beethoven, Schubert, and Chopin. In addition to his solo career, Taal is a highly regarded chamber partner for many vocal and instrumental soloists, including A. Anger, P. Lill, H. Lokuta, M.-E. Liiv, I. Vau, O. Sinkova, and A. Haav. He has worked as a répétiteur at RO Estonia (1998–2014), as a lecturer and concertmaster at EMTA (1993–2021), and at Georg Ots Tallinn Music School (1998–2022). He currently teaches at MUBA. Taal received the Estonian Cultural Endowment Music Fund Annual Award (2011). In 2014, he released a solo album of Chopin piano music Magic of Sound. Since 2022, Ralf Taal has performed concerts with K. Taal, combining music and spoken word.