Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
One of the best-known chamber choirs in the world, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir has emphasized the music of Estonian composers. With a history of excellence, the EPCC has worked with many of the top ensembles and conductors throughout the world. In 2021, the EPCC issued an album of music by Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt on BIS.
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir was founded in 1981 by Tõnu Kaljuste as a professional successor to his father Heino Kaljuste's amateur chamber choir Ellerhein. The younger Kaljuste nurtured the ensemble as its principal conductor and artistic director for 20 years, focusing the group's programs and recordings on music by Estonian composers, primarily Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis, although its full repertoire ranges from Gregorian chant and gems of the Baroque and Classical periods to contemporary compositions. The EPCC won the top prize at the 1991 Takarazuka Chamber Choir Competition in Japan and received its first Grammy nomination two years later for Te Deum.
In 2001, Kaljuste became the choir's honorary conductor, and Paul Hillier succeeded him as chief conductor and artistic director. The ensemble's reputation grew more widely as Hillier expanded its repertoire. Under his direction, it produced a highly praised series of recordings entitled Baltic Voices and won a Grammy in 2006 for Da Pacem. In 2008, Daniel Reuss became the EPCC's chief conductor and artistic director. Their first recording together was of Frank Martin's oratorio Golgotha, released in 2010.
The EPCC has enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial collaboration with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. A highlight of this relationship is the 2012 album Arvo Pärt: Adam's Lament, conducted by Kaljuste, which resulted in the EPCC's second Grammy Award in 2014. Along with its partnership with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the EPCC has an extensive history of partnerships throughout the world. It has worked with well-renowned conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Neeme Järvi, and Sir Colin Davis, and orchestras such as the London Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, among others.
Kaspars Putniņš served as the EPCC's chief conductor and artistic director from 2014 until 2021. Under Putniņš, the EOCC won a Gramophone Award in 2018 for its recording of works by Pärt and Alfred Schnittke. The EPCC has recorded dozens of albums, primarily for the Harmonia Mundi, ECM, and Ondine labels. In 2019 alone, it released four albums, including one of sacred works by Liszt and Pärt on Ondine. In 2021, the EPCC issued an album of music of Schnittke and Pärt on BIS as well as the album Veljo Tormis: Aastaaegade laulud. That year, Kaljuste once more became the EPCC's artistic director and chief conductor.
© Patsy Morita & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Baltic Voices 1
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Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by harmonia mundi on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gesualdo / Erkki-Sven Tüür / Brett Dean
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Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 18 Sep 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tõnu Kõrvits : Mirror
Kadri Voorand, Anja Lechner, Tonu Korvits, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tõnu Kaljuste
Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 18 Mar 2016
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Arvo Pärt: Litany
The Hilliard Ensemble, Tõnu Kaljuste, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Saulius Sondeckis, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 1 Aug 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sound of Arvo Pärt
Tõnu Kaljuste, Paavo Järvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Classical - Released by Erato - Warner Classics on 28 Aug 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tüür: Crystallisatio
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste
Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 23 Mar 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Psalms
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tiit Kogerman, Daniel Reuss
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Ondine on 3 Apr 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richard Harvey: Easter Songs
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Jérôme Kuhn
Classical - Released by Altus on 7 Apr 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Pärt: Beatus, Missa Syllabica, 7 Magnificat- Antiphonen & Solfeggio
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tõnu Kaljuste
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 29 Aug 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baltic Runes
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Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by harmonia mundi on 11 May 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tormis: Forgotten Peoples
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Classical - Released by ECM New Series on 1 Apr 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Galina Grigorjeva: Nature morte
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by Ondine on 12 Feb 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31 (Excerpts)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Kaspars Putnins
Classical - Released by BIS on 4 Feb 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Toivo Tulev: Songs
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16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alfred Schnittke & Arvo Pärt: Choral Works
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Kaspars Putnins
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by BIS on 5 Jan 2018
Gramophone Award24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Powers of Heaven (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Classical - Released by harmonia mundi on 18 Aug 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Litaniae K. 109, K. 125 & K. 243 (Carus Classics)
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tõnu Kaljuste
Classical - Released by Carus on 1 Jul 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tõnu Kõrvits: Sunday Wish (Orchestral version)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Risto Joost
Classical - Released by Ondine on 5 May 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi: Gloria - Messsätze und Vespern
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste
Classical - Released by Carus on 1 Aug 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ülo Krigul: Liquid Turns
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Kaspars Putnins
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by BIS on 5 Aug 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Litaniae K. 109, K. 125 & K. 243
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tõnu Kaljuste
Classical - Released by Carus on 1 Aug 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo