Arrotajad

Estonia

^{For gourmands}

The ensemble was established to introduce organ suites composed by Edgar Arro. Edgar Arro has written six suites for organ on Estonian folk music themes. Ene plays a selection of them on the organ and Anneli and Celia introduce their originals. Arro did not add his compositions references to the originals, that is why identifying and performing them is the result of a true research. At the same time it provides us with an opportunity to use, say, different folklore texts with the same melody which also makes the performance of E. Arro compositions more varied. Instrumental tunes are performed as they originally were. In addition to all that the ensemble performs some choral preludes and other pieces composed by Arro and other Estonian composers in their folk style choral format.

Arrotajad gave one of their first concerts at Viljandi Folk Music Festival in 2004. They have performed in several Estonian and Finnish churches, and participated in choral evenings with their folk style chorals, arrangements and improvisations both at Tallinn Dome Church and in Finland. The ensemble represented Estonia in Helsinki at the Estonian Congregation 10th anniversary Holy Mass in February 2006.

Photo by Päivi Lassila.

• Ene Salumäe – organ
• Celia Roose – bagpipes, long pipe, kannel, vocal
• Anneli Kont-Rahtola – violin, bowed harp, kannel, vocal

• Anneli Kont-Rahtola: +372 408 463 103; marahtola@msoynet.com