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EESTI ELU neljapäeval, 30. juunil 2022 — Thursday, June 30, 2022
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A Touching Concert by the Estonian Radio Girls’ Choir the event was bright and lively. The audience consisted of On Sunday June 26th, the younger and older generations Estonian Radio Girls’ Choir alike, teeming with anticipation performed at the St. Peter’s to hear the voices of the ac Estonian Evangelical Lu claimed choir singers. theran Church during their But their anticipation would stay in Canada, putting on a have to wait. As the clock display of whimsy and joyful struck noon, signalling the nostalgia. beginning of the show, Kadri The Radio Girls’ Choir, Hunt announced that the girls which consists of 30 girls from were running a little bit behind ages 14 to 19, is one of the four schedule. that makes up The Children’s It turned out that their flight Music Studio of Estonian to Canada was delayed. Instead Radio. All four choirs work of getting to Toronto the night with Kadri Hunt (artistic direc before as originally planned, the tor and conductor), Kaie Tanner girls arrived Sunday morning at (conductor), Külli Kiivet and 5:00 AM. If running on two Anu Aimla (vocal coaches), hours of sleep (if at all) wasn’t Märt Agu (dance teacher) and bad enough on its own, Hunt Elina Kaasik (solfeggio teacher). also said that the team was The four choirs specialize in missing most of their luggage. recording children’s music by Understandably, the girls were Estonian composers. Released very tired. But the hindrances to in 2015, their CD “Songs of their arrival, which must have Childhood,” for instance, in been incredibly frustrating and cludes a selection of colourful exhausting, made their specta instrumentals and playful cular performance all the more melodies composed by famed impressive. Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The CD was awarded the The concert in review Golden Disc Prize as the The girls performed 15 songs best-selling CD in Estonia in that were listed on the program 2015. Other than Estonian – plus an additional extra one composers, the choir’s reper or two – including composers toire last Sunday also included Arvo Pärt, Ester Mägi, and Ülo some from outside the country, Vinter. Singing with beautiful including American composers clarity and freshness, the girls’ Moses Hogan and George harmonies were paired with Gershwin. piano instrumentals by Erik Kreem, providing an earful of Arriving in Canada luminous euphony. The church’s architecture Overall, the atmosphere of
Natalie Jenkins
The 81st… (Continued from page 13)
themselves repeat in front of the eyes – may seem like a hollow victory, as pointless as learning the origins of a super stition. Indeed, the fact that the June 14th deportations from Estonia began on the “unlucky” date of Friday the 13th is prob ably nothing more than a coin cidental historical fact, some thing to be considered as an “interesting” footnote or a trivial observation. But, given its origins, per haps this fact can also provide a bit of solace. Jesus was be trayed and died on a Friday; re mained dead on a Saturday; and came back to life on a Sunday. Analogously, Estonia was occu pied and annexed during the Second World War; stayed that way for five or so decades; but regained its independence in the early 1990s. Is it not fair to ask, if one historical pattern, that of oppression, can repeat itself, then why is it the case that a different historical pattern, one of enfranchisement – or the movement from a so-called Crucifixion, to a Vigil, to a Resurrection – cannot do the same? In the end, commemorations of the June 14th deportations from Estonia – and other com memorations of similar events –
should not be perceived as failures, even in the face of recent occurrences. Instead, the ways in which remembrances expose patterns and raise awareness, for instance, may prove to play a role in the liberation of Ukraine, however major or minor, especially given the relevance of disinformation in the contemporary context. Given the progress that we have made in our understanding of history, maybe the fate of Ukraine will follow the same pattern as Estonia. But it should not be taken for granted that this will happen organically; nothing should be left to chance, or to God, or con sidered in terms of superstition. Especially, no matter the date or the day of the week, and re gardless of whether it is seen as “good” or “bad,” the notion of luck must not be invoked. Instead, in the fight for a cause, the activity of a remembering must trump a passivity of for getting; or, put differently, acts of neglect and laissez-faire must be superseded by those of Commemoration. 1. Hollywood Citizen News, July 13th, 1956. Reprinted as: Clar, Mimi 1957. Western Folklore 16(1): 62-63. 2. In a fact sheet written for the Press and Information Department for the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Laar, Mart 2006. Estonia today: deportation from Estonia in 1941 and 1949.
Estonian radio girls choir.
also played a role in the choir’s impressive sound. Its towering ceiling possessed acoustic qualities that enhanced the full-bodied, rich tone of the choir. Music as a mode of storytelling But the choir’s impressive ness goes beyond their technical skill. Music is a mode of story telling; it breathes life into two dimensional notes on a page. This is precisely what the choir offered, reminding its audience of the power of song and its ties
Photo: Tiina Jenkins
to keeping the Estonian spirit alive. The choir’s spirited expres sions and positive attitude – despite all of the trials faced on their way to Canada – brought a certain optimism to their songs. Such optimism was likely recognized and appreciated even by those who didn’t speak Estonian or had trouble under standing the lyrics. Music transcends language boundaries because of its storytelling abili ties. Emotions can still be con veyed through expressions and passion in song regardless of
language. Sentimental feelings of hope and happiness lulled in the audience after the choir finished singing, even in those that didn’t speak the language. This is why it is important, especially as Estonians, to keep our habits of song alive. It is a continuing symbol of freedom and hope, and a way for Estonians to confidently say that we’re still here and we’re not going anywhere, even in the face of hardship and despair. It’s what keeps our national spirit alive.
Contemplating Estonia’s Michelin Star Power Vincent Teetsov Estonia stunned the culinary world when, on May 25th 2022, two Estonian restau rants were awarded one Michelin star, five were awarded the Bib Gourmand title, and two restaurants received the Michelin green star for sustainable gastrono my. While the new Michelin Guide selections for Estonia do include locations across the country, the majority of award winners are in the capital, which poses some questions about the awards’ criteria and the culinary scene across the country. The high reputation of these awards is well known; but what are the qualities an eating estab lishment must possess to win them? For 180° by Matthias Diether (at Noblessner Marina) and NOA Restoran (at NOA Chef’s Hall), the Michelin star rated Tallinn restaurants, were evaluated based on five criteria, as explained by Michelin Guide. These are “the quality of the ingredients... the mastery of culinary techniques... the har mony of flavours... the perso nality of the chef as expressed in the dishes... consistency across the entire menu and over time...” Receiving one star means that both of these restau rants possess “high quality cooking, worth a stop.” Conversely, considerations for giving a Green Star include “the provenance of the ingredi ents; the use of seasonal pro duce; the restaurant’s environ mental footprint; food waste systems; general waste disposal and recycling; resource man agement; and the communica tion between the team and the guests about the restaurant’s sustainable approach,” as out
lined by Michelin Guide. Fotografiska in Tallinn and Põhjaka Manor in central Järva County received this honour. The Bib Gourmand title is a reference to Bibendum, the Michelin Group’s mascot made of tires, also known as the Michelin Man. This title “high lights good quality cooking at a great price,” recognized to be a three-course meal at 36 Euros. The locations that fulfilled this were Fellin (in Viljandi), Härg, Lore Bistroo, Mantel ja Korsten, and NOA. Any evaluation of food is subjective. A restaurant may hold sentimental value for one diner but be a place to com pletely avoid for another. Every one has different tastes. Still, the legacy of the Michelin Guide is 122 years deep. The guide was initially created in 1900 as a way for the Michelin brothers, Andre and Edouard, to promote the use of automobiles in France, and therefore, the tires they manu factured. In the first 26 years, convenient places to fix or fuel up your car, along with dining spots and accommodation, were pinpointed across France. Yet, awarding stars was not part of the scope of the guide in this era. Nowadays, the guide has exploded to over 25 countries, and is a tastemaker when it comes to fine dining. So much so that, as is frequently cited, some restaurants have asked for stars to be removed from their restaurants because they feel it applies too much pressure on the creativity of their chefs and staff. When perfectionism runs rampant, this attention could be unwanted. What is the reason that Estonia has not received a star before, then? Is the country
only just becoming noticed gas tronomically? Is the traditional food of Estonia, in contrast to western European haute cuisine, not worthy of attention? The Bib Gourmand and Michelin stars awarded elsewhere in the world negate this hypothesis. Notably, as of June 2022, not one single Canadian restaurant has been awarded with a Michelin star. This further clouds up the reasoning behind it all. Toronto and Montréal alone are famous for their fabulous food scenes. The ex citing news is that in the autumn of 2022, Toronto, Canada will have its own guide. Let’s hope the coverage stretches even further soon. This is not all said to criti cize Michelin, or to otherwise be sycophantic about the brand. Nonetheless, a household name giving recognition like this will open up opportunities for restaurants. All those interested in visit ing these locations can view them on the Michelin Guide website (https://guide.michelin. com) or through their free iOS and Android apps.
Food from Põhjaka Manor. Photo: Stina Kase
