Records available
CD canto:). Hortus Musicus
DVD In the Mystical Land of Kaydara. Peeter Vähi
DVD Coppélia. A ballet by Léo Delibes
CD-series Great Maestros. Beethoven, Brahms. Kalle Randalu, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
CD Quarter of a Century with Friends. Arsis, Rémi Boucher, Oliver Kuusik, Rauno Elp
Super Audio CD Maria Magdalena. Sevara Nazarkhan, Riga Dom Cathedral Boys Choir, State Choir Latvija, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra
LP Contra aut pro? Toomas Velmet, Neeme Järvi, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Arvo Pärt
PRELUDE
Handbell Ensemble ARSIS
Artistic director AIVAR MÄE
Will be released in April 2016!
1 | E Grieg | Prelude (from Holberg’s Time) | 2:49 |
2 | A Vivaldi | Le quattro stagioni. Concerto in F minor L’inverno, Op 8, RV 297, Largo | 2:02 |
3 | P I Tchaikovsky | October: Autumn Song (from The Seasons, Op 37a) | 3:56 |
4 | P I Tchaikovsky | December: Christmas (from The Seasons, Op 37a) | 4:04 |
5 | P I Tchaikovsky | April: Snowdrop (from The Seasons, Op 37a) | 2:58 |
6 | P I Tchaikovsky | Overture (from The Nutcracker) | 3:29 |
7 | P I Tchaikovsky | Danse Arabe (from The Nutcracker) | 3:11 |
8 | P I Tchaikovsky | Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy (from The Nutcracker) | 2:02 |
9 | P I Tchaikovsky | Trepak (from The Nutcracker) | 1:15 |
10 | G Fr Händel | Largo (from Xerxes) | 3:37 |
11 | G Fr Händel | Passacaglia | 3:38 |
12 | P Mascagni | Intermezzo (from Cavalleria Rusticana) | 3:14 |
13 | G Bizet | Overture (from Carmen) | 2:29 |
14 | L Gillis | Pick a Winner | 1:38 |
15 | N Rimsky-Korsakov | Flight of the Bumblebee (from The Tale of Tsar Saltan) | 1:26 |
16 | J Strauss | Pizzicato Polka | 2:36 |
17 | A Khachaturian | Sabre Dance (from ballet Gayane) | 2:20 |
#1, Edvard Grieg, Prelude, Holberg’s Time, fragm, 1 min 3 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps
#2, Antonio Vivaldi, Le quattro stagioni, Concerto No 4 in F minor L’inverno, Op 8, RV 297, Mov II Largo, fragm, 1 min 40 sec, mp3, 320 Kbps
Recorded in 2015, St Jacob’s church, Viimsi, Estonia
Sound engineer − Tanel Klesment
Photo − Mait Jüriado
Design − Kristel Linnutaja
Layout − Mart Kivisild
Management − Tiina Kodumäe
Producer − Peeter Vähi
ERP 8716
© 2016, Arsis, Estonian Record Productions (Tallinn)
The bells are ringing
The song they’re singing
The sound is bringing the people ’round…
Church and temple bells, carillons, chime clocks, tinkler bells, death knells… their timeless ringing has carried through centuries and cultures, accompanying man from birth to death, always present on important moments. Uniting and parting, rejoicing and mourning, calling and cautioning (wedding and funeral bells, Christmas and alarm bells), their sound embodies strong emotions that have inspired composers and instrument masters, poets and writers from Bach and Shakespeare to Hemingway.
The roots of the handbells date back to the 17th century England where the first miniature copies of church bells were cast. The bells that first and foremost were meant for practice by carillon players, soon acquired a status of independent musical instruments and were called hand bells. Their heyday was left in the 18th century when most self-respecting civilized people practiced hand bell music as their hobby. Today, those in the meantime obsolete instruments, are gaining more and more world-wide recognition.
Handbell Ensemble Arsis formed in 1993 from the singers of Arsis Chamber Choir, consists today of eight professional players and has one of the biggest handbell collections in the world (7 + 4 octaves of English handbells and 7 octaves of chimes). Guest performances have taken them to South Africa, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Poland, Holland, China, Canada and the USA. The most prestigious halls that have hosted Arsis are the Grand Hall of St Petersburg Philharmonic, Oslo Concert Hall and El Pardo Palace in Madrid, the concert in the latter was attended by the Spanish Royal Couple. In addition to the current one, the ensemble has released 5 solo recordings and participated in numerous recordings with symphony and chamber orchestras, choirs, and other music projects. Arsis has had close collaboration with many composers and has commissioned and premiered more than 10 new works.
The ensemble: Kaspar Rohtmets, Johanna Vaimel, Grete Aron, Angeelika Oolberg, Kristel Linnutaja, Andrus Ansip, Liivia Talvik, Carmen Karnö, Kätriin Pruul, Katri Elias, Martha Tääkre, Mariann Tiirik
The conductor and artistic director of the ensemble is Aivar Mäe who introduced handbell music to Estonia. However, Aivar Mäe’s work is not only limited to handbell music, he is one of the most prominent figures in the Estonian musical life, having occupied positions of director at various music theatres, the Estonian National Concert Institute Eesti Kontsert, being the founder or refounder of of several large concert halls as well as co-initiator of several festivals. And why not also remember his youth as a pop singer (ensemble Vitamiin). Since 2009 he holds the position of general manager of the Estonian National Opera. Aivar Mäe is a honorary member of the Estonian Society for Music Education.
Download: Arsis (photo by Mait Jüriado, 2015, jpg, RGB, 300 dpi, 3.8 MB), Aivar Mäe (photo by Mait Jüriado, 2015, jpg, RGB, 300 dpi, 9.6 MB)
Worldwide distribution by Note 1 Music (Carl-Benz-Straße 1, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany, phone +49 6221 720351, fax +49 6221 720381,
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, www.note-1.de)
Distribution in Estonia by Arsis,
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, +372 6621855, www.arsis.ee
See also other recordings with Arsis: Handbell Symphony, Supreme Silence, In Dies, Planetentöne Vol 2, Om Mani Padme Hung, Traumzeit, The Flutish Kingdom, World Festival Of Sacred Music Europe, Awake, My Heart!, Night Music, Terra Mariana, The Best of Arsis Bells, Quarter of a Century with Friends