Jüri Reinvere: premieres by Cleveland and Bavarian Radio Symphony orchestras
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A busy three weeks for Jüri Reinvere sees two major premieres by leading orchestras on two continents. His double concerto for violin, harp and orchestra was unveiled in Cleveland on 22 May and 12 June brings the world premiere of The Song of the Two Earths for soprano, Estonian zither and orchestra in Munich.
Estonian-born composer Jüri Reinvere travelled to Cleveland to hear his new double concerto commissioned by Franz Welser-Möst and his Cleveland Orchestra as part of the Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival 2026. The premiere of the Concerto for Violin, Harp, and Orchestra on 22 May brought together soloists Leila Josefowicz and Trina Struble, providing a worthy successor to Spohr’s concerto for the same distinct combination.
Although the violin and harp “don’t have much in common apart from pizzicato”, as the composer has explained, he was very taken with the idea of a double concerto for these instruments. For Reinvere, his enthusiasm for particular performers often provides the impetus for new works. During rehearsals for his orchestral work And Weary of Happiness, the harpists of the Estonian Festival Orchestra had so inspired him with their joy of music-making and enthusiasm for experimentation that he was determined to write a concertante work for harp and orchestra. This then transformed itself into the double concerto as Reinvere also “wanted to devote myself particularly to the violin. I very quickly thought of Leila Josefowicz as the soloist, because with her skill and imagination she has so inspired recent concert repertoire for violin… The relationship of closeness and distance between the two solo instruments shaped my thinking, while the orchestra’s part follows a specific dramatic structure that only reveals, as the piece unfolds, why such a large ensemble is required.”
“Reinvere’s score is not a battle between soloists, but rather a poem defined by a constantly evolving sonic world in which violinist Leila Josefowicz and harpist Trina Struble at times move the magical music forward and at others blend into the concerto’s robust sound palette. The composer brilliantly uses a large orchestra that somehow never obscures the solo lines, but rather takes on the role of a third soloist. The concerto was greeted with a strong and immediate ovation from the audience, and a warm embracing of soloists, conductor, and composer ensued.”
ClevelandClassical.com
“Violinist Leila Josefowicz savoured the narrative quality of the music, dramatically projecting the violin part as if she were a character moving through a fantastic landscape. Trina Struble played the glittery harp part with flair… perhaps Reinvere’s concept was that the violin was the singing bard with the harp accompanying. Regardless, the work was mysterious and enchanting, with the orchestra supplying the dark landscape for the music’s adventures.”
Seen and Heard International
On 12 June, Matthias Pintscher conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Reinvere’s The Song of the Two Earths in Munich. This new work for soprano, kannel (the Estonian folk zither) and orchestra, setting a text by the composer, expands upon the biblical promises of a new heaven and a new earth and offers hope to the youngest generation from the perspective of the Baltic countries. The soloists at Munich’s Herkulessaal as part of Musica Viva are Aušrine Stundyte and Kristi Mühling.
“For years now, I have been preoccupied with the idea of a work for female voice and orchestra entitled The Song of the Two Earths. Naturally, one immediately thinks of Gustav Mahler, and that is not entirely wrong. Yet the connection to Mahler is not very strong. The text, which I have written myself, takes its starting point from Isaiah 65: ‘For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth, so that the former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind’. This prophetic promise is taken up again in the Second Epistle of Peter: ‘But we look for a new heaven and a new earth according to his promise, in which righteousness dwells’.
“The duality between the old and the new earth plays a major role for me here – also against the backdrop of a generation that currently calls itself ‘the last’ and has adopted the slogan ‘There is no planet B’. In this work, which lasts about half an hour, the soprano solo is accompanied by a solo instrument: the kannel, the board zither so important to traditional Estonian music, which is closely linked to the culture of the Finno-Ugric tribes in the Baltic region, Finland and north-western Russia. It is very delicately and very concretely connected to a region of the old earth. But despite its age and long history, just like the symphony orchestra and the human voice, it can always say something new.”
> Further information on Work: Das Lied von den zwei Erden
Photo: Elly Clarke