Veljo Tormis was born in 1930 near thetown of Kuusalu in northern Esto nia. Hehas written over 500 choral songs, a cham -ber opera, a ballet-can tata, 35 film scores, a feworch estral pieces, and works for vocal and instru -mental soloists and chamber groups. A cappellachoral music has been at the centre of his cre ativ -ity; more than half of these compositions arebased directly on regilaulud or ancient traditionalEstonian song. Unlike Bartk, Tormis did verylittle field work collecting folk songs; rather, hemade extensive use of the song col lections begunin the nineteenth century and later published orheld in archives. Thus many of his texts are tradi -tion al, though he also set the poetry of his con -tem poraries. When doing the latter he rarely usestraditional tunes, but incorporates their scales andintervals into his melodies, and builds harmoniesfrom this mat e ri al, thus creating a unique sound.Divisions of voices into separate lines are fre -quent ly noted here because they play such an im -portant part in one of the universally recog nizedcharacteristics of Tormiss style: his orches trationof voices, which introduces fresh sounds evenwhen he repeats a tune many times. Another char -ac teristic is his rhythmic ingenuity, setting off theregularity of regi songs with unex pected pauses,varying lengths of time between phrases and sud -den interjections of background chords. The chor -al songs on this recording span most of Tormisslife as a pro fes sional composer. Several of theminvolve recitations of spells, which, along with hisuse of repetitious regi songs and his steadfast devo -tion to Estonian identity, has resulted in his beingcalled a modern shaman. Tormis chose to stop

com posing at the end of 2000, but is still active,teaching and preparing scores for pub lication.

Incantatio maris aestuosi [Incantation for aStormy Sea] was commissioned in 1996 by two uni -versity choruses: Orphei Drngar or OD (Upp salaUniversity, Sweden) and Ylioppilaskunnan Lau lajator YL (Helsinki University, Finland). Rather thanusing the Karelian language of the Kale vala, Tormishad the text trans lated into Latin, a language whichalso involves durational differ ences of syllables, andwas accessible to both uni ver sity groups. Both tenorand bass parts are divid ed into four lines and thevocal orches tra tion includes whispering and par -tial ly im pro vised whistling. The melodies comefrom tradi tional Karelian tunes.

Kord me tuleme tagasi [Once We Will Re -appear] became the title of this choral song whenit was revised in 1991. It was originally calledMeie varjud [Our Shadows] (1969). The impor -tance of man in nature in Kaplinskis poem istypic al of Estonian culture, here musically inter -preted by an eight-voiced mens chorus and threetenor solo voices.

Kolm mul oli kaunist sna [I Had Three Beau -tiful Words] was written in 1962, six years afterTormis completed his studies at the Moscow Con -servatory, during a highly productive period. It ismostly for four-voiced mens chorus, thoughocca sion ally the tenors divide into four parts andthe basses into three. Unusual for Tormis is hisuse of a single instrument the flute playingalong with the voices. Its high pitches, contrastingwith the relatively low sounds of the voices, arethe shimmering of the gold, silver and brass of thethree words the penniless lad offers to his love.

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Raua needmine [Curse upon Iron] was writ tenin 1972 for mixed chorus and shaman drum andwas revised in 1991 for mens or womens chorus.It quickly became the work by Tormis most fre -quently performed outside of Estonia, al wayseliciting great praise from audiences and critics.This response came even when the mean ing of itstext was not fully understood! That text, based onthe Finnish epic Kalevala, with additional lines bycontemporary Estonian poets, is concerned withknowing the source of iron in order to overcomeits deadly power.

Muistse mere laulud [Songs of the AncientSea] (1979) continues what had be come the Tor -mis style, in its use of regi songs. The composerwas attracted to the theme of water lakes, rivers,and especially the sea for Estonians had beenfishermen (as well as farmers) for centuries. Thissong, as is usual for Tormis, is written for a cap -pella chorus (here tenors are divided into five parts,basses into four, plus a tenor solo); it is un usual inits creation of specific natural sounds the waves,winds, sailors calls and the cawing of seagulls combined to create the dreaded power of the sea.

In Hamleti laulud [Hamlets Songs] I and II,composed in 196465, Tormis expands the vocalpalette of a traditional a cappella chorus to that oftwo mens choruses singing a variety of sounds:the Estonian text of Paul-Eerik Rummos poems issung on specific pitches or performed as Sprech -stimme or whispered or semi-whispered tones, aswell as the sounds of wordless vocables. This mu -sical setting of Hamlets bitter desperation echoedthe mood of Soviet Estonia.

The two songs of Kaksikphendus (Dip thhon)[Double Dedication (Diptych)] were written in1983 for the 100th anniversary of the birthdays ofthe Estonian refugee poets Gustav Suits and MarieUnder. Typical of Tormiss entire output, theycontain sounds of both great force and delicacy.

Mimi S. Daitz 2012Mimi S. Daitz is the author of Ancient Song Recovered:The Life and Music of Veljo Tormis published by Pen -dragon Press (2004).

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Orphei Drngar (OD) consists of almost eightysingers aged between 20 and 55. Since its forma -tion in Uppsala in 1853, the choir has striv en todiscover and dev el op new directions for the male-voice choir as a means of musical expres sion. Forfour decades each, some of Swedens finest con -ductors Hugo Alfvn, Eric Eric son and RobertSund worked with OD. Since 2008 CeciliaRydinger Alin has been the choirs artistic direc -tor.

The annual Caprice concerts, which dateback to 1962, stand out in particular among theresults of the choirs ambition to expand the hori -zons that define what a choir can look and soundlike. OD regularly seeks out musical encounters:it has a rich tradition of collaboration with emi nentconductors including Jukka-Pekka Saraste, AlanGilbert, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Neeme Jrvi, withinstrumentalists and singers such as the KroumataPercussion Ensemble, Anne Sofie von Otter,Chris tian Lindberg, Malena Ernman and PeterMattei, as well as with numerous sym phony orch -estras.

Every year OD undertakes concert tours inSweden. In recent decades, the choir has also em -barked on international tours to North and CentralAmerica and the Far East as well as to most Euro -pean countries. OD has recorded some twentyrecords that together have sold almost 150,000copies, and makes around twenty appearances an -nually in Sweden and abroad. His Majesty KingCarl Gustaf XVI is Orphei Drngars permanentpatron.

Cecilia Rydinger Alin is a leading figure inSwed ish musical life. Her wide range of activitiesen compasses orchestral concerts, opera, choralcon ducting and teach ing, in addition to regularlyconducting Swedish and other Scandinavian sym -pho ny orchestras. She was the principal conductorof the Vrmland Opera in Karlstad from 1994until 1998, and has conducted opera productionsat the Royal Swedish Opera and Denmarks JyskeOpera, as well as highly regarded Wagner produc -tions at the Dalhalla limestone quarry.

From 1988 until 2009 Cecilia Rydinger Alinwas the artistic director of the mixed choir All -mnna Sngen, at the helm of which she won anumber of inter na tional choral competitions, in -cluding the 2005 European Choral Grand Prix inVarna, Bulgaria. In the autumn of 2008, she waselected conductor and artistic direc tor of OrpheiDrngar in Uppsala.

In addition, Cecilia Rydinger Alin is professorof orchestral conducting at the Royal College ofMusic in Stockholm. She has been a member ofthe Royal Swed ish Academy of Music since 2004,was awarded the medal Litteris et Artibus byKing Carl Gustaf XVI for her contribution toSwedish musical life in 2005, and received theSwedish Choral Societys Choral Conductor ofthe Year award in 2009.

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Raua needmine Curse upon IronOhoi sinda, rauda raiska, Ohoi cursed, evil iron!rauda raiska, rhka kurja, Ohoi evil, cursed iron!liha sja, luu pureja, Flesh consuming, bone devouring,vere stuma valaja! Spilling blood, devouring virtue!Kust said kurja, kangeeksi, Whither comes your cruel cunning,leliia lbeeksi? Haughtiness so overbearing?Hurjuh sinda, rauda raiska! Fie upon you, evil iron!Tean ma sndi su sgeda, Your beginnings reek of malice.arvan algust su ela! You have risen from villainy.Kisid kolme ilmaneitsit, From above the earth appeared taeva ttarta tulista, Fiery maidens in the heavens, lpsid maale rindasida, Heavily with milk a-laden, soo ple piimasida. Spilling milk upon the marshes.ks see lpsis musta piima, Black, the liquid from one maiden, sest sai rauda pehmeeda; Turning into ductile iron. teine valgeta valasi, White milk flowing from the other, sellest tehtud on teraksed; Tempered steel from this arising. kolmas see veripunasta, From the third a crimson liquid, sellest malmi ilma tulnud. Cursed, rusty ore created.Ohoi sinda, rauda raiska, Ohoi cursed, evil iron!rauda raiska, rhka kurja! Ohoi evil, cursed iron!Ei sa siis veel suuri olnud, Then you were not high and mighty,ei veel suuri, ei veel uhke, Not so mighty, not so haughty,kui sind soossa solguteldi, When you slumbered in the swamplandvedelassa vntsuteldi. When you suffered in the marshes.Hurjuh sinda, rauda raiska! Fie upon you, evil iron!Tean ma sndi su sgeda, Your beginnings reek of malice.arvan algust su ela! You have risen from villainy.Susi jooksis sooda mda, Then a wolf came running hither, karu kmberdas rabassa, Bear a-rambling over younder. soo tusis soe jalusta, Footprints stirring in the swampland, raba karu kpa alta. Traces from the swamp arising Kasvid raudased orased, Giving rise to iron seedlings, soe jalgade jlile, In the shadows of the wolf prints karu kppade kohale. In the traces of the bear tracks.Ohoi rauda, laukalapsi, Ohoi wretched child of bogland, rabarooste, pehmepiima! Born of rust and milk of maidens! Kes su kll vihalle kskis, Tell me who made you so angry! kes pani pahalle tle? Who set you to evil doings?

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Surma sitis sooda mda, Death came riding through the marshes, taudi talveteeda mda, Plague along the wintry byways, leidis soost terakse taime, Finding seedling steel in swampland raua rooste laukaalta. Rusty iron in a boghole.Nii kneles suurisurma, Then great death began to utter, taudi tappaja thendas: Killer plague began intoning, me alla mnnikussa, In a pinegrove on a hillside, pllulla kla pralla, In a field behind the village, talu aitade tagana: Far beyond the farmers granges. siin saab surma sepipada, Here will be the fateful forging! siia ahju ma asetan, Here a furnace I will fashion, siia tstan ltsad laiad, Mighty fanning bellows anchor!hakkan rauda keetamaie, Here Ill set the iron boiling! raua roostet ltsumaie, Blast the rusty ore to flaming! rauda tampima tigedaks. Pound the iron full of fury!Rauda, vaene mees, vrises, Iron quaked and iron quivered,jo vrises, jo vbises, Quaked and quivered, tossed and trembled,kuulis kui tule nimeda, When he heard the call for fire,tule kurja kutsumista. Heard the irons angry summons.Ohoi sinda, rauda raiska! Ohoi cursed, evil iron! Ei sa siis veel suuri olnud, Then you were not high and mighty, ei veel suuri, ei veel uhke, Not so mighty, not so haughty! kui sa silla gasid, Moaning in the blazing furnace, vingusid vasara alla. Whining under beating anvils.Taat see ahjulta rises, Droned the old man on the oven halliparda vommi plta: Groaned the greybeard from the furnace:Rauda rasvana venikse, Iron stretches out like tallow, ila kombel valgunekse, Dripping down like oozing spittle, veerdes alla siilta, Flowing from the blazing furnace, voolates valutulesta. Seeping from the scalding fire.Veel sa rauda pehmekene, Yet the iron, soft and gentle,miska sind karastatakse, Must be toughened, must be tempered,terakseksi tehtanekse? Turned into steel defiant.Toodi ussilta ilada, Get the spittle from a serpent! musta maolta mrgikesta. Bring the venom from a viper! Ei see raud kuri olekski, Iron would not harbour evil,ilma usside ilata, If it had no serpent spittle mao musta mrkideta. Had no murky viper venom.

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Taat see ahjulta rises, Droned the old man on the oven, halliparda vommi plta: Groaned the greybeard from the furnace:Varja nd vgeva Looja, Shelter us, Supreme Creator! kaitse kaunike Jumala, Grant us safety, God Almighty,et ei kaoks see mees koguni, so that mankind will not perish, hoopistkkis ema lapsi Future children be protectedLooja loodusta elusta, From destruction, Jumala alustatusta. From extinction.Uued ajad. Uued jumalad. Changing eras, modern deities. Kahurid, lennukid, Cannons, airplanes, tankid, kuulipildujad. Tanks, armed warfare.Uus raud ja teras, New steel and iron,uhiuued targad, Transformed into precisetpsed, vgevad tapjad, Evil, powerful killersautomaatsete sihtimisseadmetega Armed with automated guiding devices,tuumalaengut kandvad, Armed with nuclear warheadstrjerelvadele kttesaamatud raketid. Useless against all defencesNoad, odad, Knives, spears, kirved, taprid, saablid, Axes, halberds, sabres,lingud, tomahawkid, bumerangid, Slings, tomahawks, boomerangs,ammud, nooled, kivid, kaikad, Bows and arrows, rocks and clubs,kuned, hambad, liiv ja sool, Claws and teeth, sand and salt,tuhk ja trv, napalm ja ssi. Dust and tar, napalm and coal.Uus ja kige kaasaegsem tehnika, Innovations, far-reaching, technical, elektroonika viimane sna, Electronic, ultimate,valmis liikuma igasse punkti, Ready to fly in any direction,krvalekaldumatult sihti tabama, Stay undeflected, striking target forcefully.peatama, rivist vlja lma, Annihilate, knocking out of action,hvitama, Obliterate, vitlusvimetuks tegema, Render hopelessly impotent,haavama, teadmata kaotama, Killing, killing, with steel and iron! tapma, tapma, raua, terase, Killing, steel and iron, chromium, kroomi, titaani, uraani, plutooniumi Titanium, uranium, plutonium and ja paljude teiste elementidega. Multitudes of elements.Ohoi sinda, rauda kurja, Ohoi cursed, evil iron! mka sja snnitaja, Sword, begetter of all warfare! rauda rhka, kulda kilpi, Golden guardian of the swamp ore, sina teras, nurja tugu! Steel thats kith and kin to evil.Hurjuh sinda, rauda raiska, Fie upon you, evil iron!Oleme hesta soosta, You and I are from the same seed,

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hest seemnest me siginud, From the same earth we have sprouted.sina maasta, mina maasta, From the same good soil we harken,musta mulda me mlemad, You and I, we share this planet, he maa pl me elame, Bound to share the earth together, he maa sees kokku saame, Earth that will us all recover, maad meil kllalt siis mlemal. Earth enough for all, forever. Text: Kalevala IX, adapted and augmented by Translation: Heli Kopti, Leena Mai Liivet,August Annist, Paul-Eerik Rummo and Jaan Kaplinski Ruth Veskimets and Roman Toi

Muistse mere laulud Songs of the Ancient Seaiilid tusevad idasta some winds come from the eastteised tusevad kagusta some from the southeastkolmandad veel lunaasta some from the southkui need kolmed kokku saavad when the three meetsiis nad vihma veeretavad they make rainpilved laineida lasevad clouds cause the waves to swellsajavad savised pilved dark clouds precipitatetinakarvased tibavad leaden dropsmustad muidu hirmutavad and the black clouds threatenmina aga mees meremehe I am a manpoega kallis mees kalamehe son of a sailorpoega kll mina tunnen a free shermans sontuuled nuda mered suda I knowphjatuulta purjetada the passage of the windslunatuulta la loovi I can sail upon the seaservi tuulta seisatada I know the north windvastu pevada puhata I can check the lateral windspurjetan Punasta merda I sail on the crimson searohelista Rootsi merda the emerald Swedish seatormilista Turja merda stormy Turjas seahargilista Harju merda uneasy Harjus seaViru merda virgejada Virus seaoma merda igejada and my own seatule aga tule tursukene come come blithe codmerephja prsukene darlings from the ocean depthstule minu kuldse koogu come and take my golden hookotsa hbedase nge otsa on my silver rod

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CURSE UPON IRON

WORKS FOR MALE CHOIR BY

VELJO TORMIS

ORPHEI DRNGARCECILIA RYDINGER ALIN

BIS-SACD-1993

VELJO TORMIS | TNU TORMIS

BIS-SACD-1993_f-b.indd 1 2012-05-16 12.55