x

Login

Remember me
Forget password ?

Or via social

x

sign up

person_profile-Veljo Tormis

Veljo Tormis Died at age: 86

Actor | Producer

    Veljo Tormis (August 7, 1930 – January 21, 2017) was an Estonian composer, regarded as one of the great contemporary choral composers and one of the most important composers of the 20th centu

    See full bio

    Videos & Photos

    All 1 Photos

    filmography

    Full Filmography
    Outlaws

    Papp ( Actor )

    Music

    ... 1971

Fullname:

Veljo Tormis

Date of Birth:

Aug 07, 1930

Country of birth:

Died:

Jan 21, 2017

Biography of

Veljo Tormis

    Veljo Tormis (August 7, 1930 – January 21, 2017) was an Estonian composer, regarded as one of the great contemporary choral composers and one of the most important composers of the 20th century in Estonia.

    Internationally, his fame arises chiefly from his extensive body of choral music, which exceeds 500 individual choral songs, most of it a cappella. The great majority of these pieces are based on traditional ancient Estonian folksongs (regilaulud), either textually, melodically, or merely stylistically.

    His composition most often performed outside Estonia, Curse Upon Iron (Raua needmine) (1972), invokes ancient Shamanistic traditions to construct an allegory about the evils of war. Some of his works were banned by the Soviet government, but because folk music was fundamental to his style most of his compositions were accepted by the censors.

    More recently, Tormis' works have been performed and recorded by Tõnu Kaljuste with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and others. In the 1990s, Tormis began to receive commissions from some a cappella groups as the King's Singers and the Hilliard Ensemble.

    Tormis famously said of his settings of traditional melodies and verse: "It is not I who makes use of folk music, it is folk music that makes use of me." His work demonstrates his conviction that traditional Estonian and other Balto-Finnic music represents a treasure which must be guarded and nourished, and that culture may be kept alive through the medium of song.

Photos of

Veljo Tormis

Photos ( 1 Photos

Filmography of

Veljo Tormis

Found 1 Movies in total

Outlaws

Papp ( Actor )

Music

... 1971