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EESTI ELU reedel, 9. oktoobril 2020 — Friday, October 9, 2020
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The music lives on: Uno Kook’s Estonia Orkester manuscripts Vincent Teetsov On October 3rd, after moving through various homes and storage units for safe-keeping over the years, the handwrit ten arrangements of Estonia Orkester’s conductor, Uno Kook, were brought out of an office unit in Leaside, Toron to. From here, they were brought to the archive of VEMU (the Museum of Esto nians Abroad) at Tartu Col lege, to hold onto the legacy of this historic EstonianCanadian orchestra. Estonia Orkester was found ed in 1957 when the woodwind ensemble of Toronto Eesti Meeskoor (Estonian Male Choir) sensed the demand for classical music performances and formed their own separate group. For that endeavour, they sought Uno Kook (born in Tartu on February 4th, 1919), an Assistant Director for Toronto Eesti Meeskoor, a choral con ductor, and an excellent French horn player. Estonia Orkester’s members played a broad selection of Canadian, American, and Euro pean classical pieces, and of course, their performances brought the best of Estonian compositions to audiences in North America. They played at prestigious venues, including Maple Leaf Gardens and several Vabariigi Aastapäev (Estonian Independence Day) concerts during the late 80s and 90s at the University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall. Looking through the boxes, a few albums with photographs, newspaper clippings, and con cert programs were discovered, bringing back memories of per formances for many different cultural communities around Toronto, including Latvian, Lithuanian, and Finnish audi ences. Nearly 25 years after the passing of Kook, members of Estonia Orkester have conti nually preserved the orchestra’s legacy. On this particular occa sion, Toomas Heinar was be stowed with the responsibility of transporting Uno Kook’s hand-written arrangements of Estonian songs that could not be found anywhere else. Kook was prolific, arranging many songs over the decades to suit the players of the orchestra. Kook is remembered for being a stickler about timing, bringing out precise playing
Photo: Estonia Orkester archive
over countless hours of re hearsals on the Toronto Esto nian House stage, in the väike saal (“small hall”), and towards the end, in the classrooms of the Estonian House. Occasion ally, frustrations developed as older players couldn’t see the notes clearly with deteriorating eyesight, such that they would play entire pieces just from memory. For example, while rehearsing in the late 80s, trom bonist Veiko Nõlvak was not able to see the notes in front of him and said “pole vajagi noote!” (“I don’t even need the notes!”). Nevertheless, he played the whole piece perfect ly. The orchestra was a place for musicians of all ages. Toomas Heinar is one of the remaining members of Estonia Orkester. He joined as a trom bonist in 1972, along with a handful of other young musi cians who had a remarkable opportunity to play Estonian music that they wouldn’t have had the chance to play other wise, alongside formally trained musicians from Estonia. Heinar specifically remembers sitting between Veiko Nõlvak and Peeter Liima, who gracefully moved through scores with crisp and clean tone. Nõlvak was playing a bass trombone that was obtained after emigrat ing to Canada. Along with the double bass played by Alex ander Kerk, these are instru ments that have been passed on and are still being used to this day. Herbert Kasenurm and Volde mar Gustavson were the unofficial archivists and social organizers of the orchestra, hosting get-togethers and Christmas parties for as long as they could. Uno Kook passed away on the 27th of August, 1995. It was a devastating loss for all of the orchestra’s members. In 1999, Gustavson organized a recorded memorial concert for Kook at the Estonian House. The con cert, which brought Estonia Orkester to its conclusion, featured performances of Kook’s favourite arrangements, con ducted by Gustavson. Despite their professionalism and high caliber performances, many of the orchestra’s mem bers worked in professions out side of music. The time put into the music by these musicians was a pure labour of love, founded upon a participation in the arts, which Toomas Heinar says gives value to one’s life. To him, music “bears your soul with sincerity. It’s like saying ‘this is who I am’. And to have an audience is so rewarding.” Behind the notes scrawled on staff paper is a story of joy and care in music, and of the life long friends that are made in the process.
Axtonia: Transporting Canadian country grit to central Tallinn Vincent Teetsov The first time I saw an axe throwing establishment for myself was on Agricola Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. While it seemed fitting enough for Canada – plaid shirts, lum berjack beards, toques, and all that – I wondered if indoor lobster fishing might be a more suitable corporate bond ing activity for the east coast. Not long before that, it was actually a friend who initially mentioned the nascent sport forming in Estonia. Axtonia is Estonia’s first, and so far only, place where you can go for a drink (certainly not more than two) and throw axes (kirve viskamise). Might we call Axtonia a type of kirvesaal (“hall of axes”)? Or a kirve gild (“axe guild”)? I don’t know if these terms could ever fit into the Estonian lexicon, but it suits the image of a sport that could take place in a viking mead hall or a logger’s cabin in the Canadian wilderness. Actually, it’s more centrally located than that. At Liivalaia 5 in Tallinn, a 12 minute walk from Vabaduse väljak, you’ll find a bright, laid-back hangout spot with tables, chairs, and sofas to enjoy some beer and snacks before, during, and after you throw. I wasn’t just joking though, there is actually a two beer limit, as Axtonia takes safety just as seriously as they do having a good time! There are chainlink fence barriers in be tween lanes. And to answer a common question, it is unlikely that their provided wooden- handled axes would bounce back at you, compared to those with metal handles.
It’s straightforward. For 17 Euros (roughly $26.50 CAD) per person, you get your own supervised lane for two hours, to throw at the wooden target at the end of the lane. After six hours, if you put the right amount of force into your throw, that wood will be decimated and likely need changing. Estonian-Canadian entrepre neur Erik Rudi Jylli and his cousin are the owners of this centre. Erik also steps in at the beginning of sessions to give an instructional overview of the technique, before letting you give it a go. Rave reviews indi cate that Axtonia has become a solid fixture in the recreational landscape of Estonia’s capital. Erasmus Student Network (ESN) has even gotten into axe throwing: as part of the ESN card, you can get a 10 percent discount on a session of axe throwing. In terms of promo tion, they’ve kept it simple, tempting international students with “great and safe anger management for all ages!” Hey, formalizing all that learning agreement paperwork
Photo: Estonia Orkester archive
is frustrating! What’s more, Axtonia is a place where you can “unleash your inner viking”. On at least a local level, it’s interesting to note that this sport is con sidered a viking activity. A European pastime. Jylli was spot-on when he said this activity fits well with Estonian culture. It’s athletic in a rustic way. It’s doesn’t have too many bells and whistles either. Sharp metal and wood can’t be exag gerated or become cumbersome with extra gear. Adding to the viking ambiance is the chance to don a helmet and shield while you’re there. Writing for Tuglas-seura, the Finnish-Estonian friendship so ciety, writer Ville Hytönen refers to the character of Andres from part one of A.H. Tamm saare’s Tõde ja õigus, when talking about kirvevise. Axe throwing could be a party activity, but you could do it alone just as well. Like Andres, you can go your own way, with individualistic intensity, serious ness, and focus. It’s almost surprising that it’s only more recently that axe throwing has caught on in Estonia. But it stands for an Estonian willingness to embrace the classics. To throw an axe is a simple pleasure.
Photo: Axtonia
