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14
VIP- News - April 2011
I do not believe that music or artists are
exportable or importable. People and es-
pecially artists are not commodities. The
art they produce, however, either finds
acceptance and popularity elsewhere or
it doesn’t. I do believe, moreover, that we
need to recognize that music and creative
endeavours more broadly are an impor-
tant sector of the economy. Arvo Pärt’s
(renowned Estonian classical composer)
music probably does not generate much
money for the Estonian economy but it
does make Estonia a recognizable place
on the world map, which in turn does con-
tribute to the economy.
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Until IceSave, (The diplomatic dispute that
began in 2008 between Iceland on one
hand and the and the UK and the Nether-
lands centred on the creditors of the pri-
vately owned (since 2003) Icelandic bank
Landsbanki, which offered online savings
accounts under the “Icesave” brand.) tiny
Iceland (1/3 of ‘tiny Estonia’ ) was known
above all for Björk and Sigur Ros; there’s no
doubt as to which is the preferred brand.
VIP-News: You obviously take an interest
in music yourself, you mentioned Arcade
Fire in your speech, what other artists have
stimulated your interest, both Estonian
and international? Do you play yourself?
You have I think, some background in ra-
dio, was music a part of this?
President Ilves: Ever since I can remem-
ber anything at all music has been a core
interest. Melomane is the French; I am
not sure, though, if melomaniac would
be the appropriate translation, but since
childhood my friends have remarked that
I have an inordinate if not obsessional
interest in music. For me it’s just part of
life. Which means also that I have rather
catholic (small ‘c’ there) tastes and always
have, with little regard for genre. “Help me
Rhonda” clicks just as much as the Gold-
berg Variations. I discovered Arvo Pärt lis-
tening to a new music programme on CBC
in my car in the early 1980. I was mesmer-
ized, pulled over to the side of the road to
listen to the end and was dumbstruck to
hear that the piece (“Cantus in memory of
Benjamin Britten”) had been written by an
Estonian composer. In other words, I listen
without regard to categories. Eubie Blake
and Steve Reich, Georgian choirmusic and
Gregorian chants, Indian ragas, Pearl Jam,
the Band, I really like them all.
I am alas completely talentless as far as
playing anything, however. I have played
piano, saxophone and guitar, all with abys-
mal results. My experience in radio was
strictly journalistic.
VIP-News: What are your opinions of the
relevance and importance of Tallinn Mu-
sic Week. Did you get the opportunity to
attend any other parts of the event this
year?
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Tallinn Music Week
President Ilves: TMW is for me a fantas-
tic showcase for new music and musi-
cians in the Nordic/Baltic region, which
I hope also leads to new synergies - yes
that sounds like ad copy but I do believe
that regional interplay and influences
can make for something more than by
just listening to records. In Vienna in the
18th-19th century there was no recorded
music so it’s not a surprise that proximity
played a large role in musical develop-
ment but San Francisco in the 1960s and
Seattle in the 1990s became creative caul-
drons from people just playing together,
even though by then recorded music
was the rule. I hope TMW does the same.
I attended one concert at the Von Krahl
theatre the night before the opening and
managed to listen to four bands - Finnish,
Lithuanian and Estonian. I was especially
taken by Alan McKim. So much power in
just a voice and a single acoustic guitar:
simply amazing and precisely the kind of
experience TMW is for.
Nokia Concert Hall - Tallinn
Aivar Sirelpuu is General Manager of the
Nokia Concert Hall, Tallinn’s state of the
art venue, and a man with long experi-
ence in the concert business. VIP-News
spoke to him in Tallinn:
VIP-News: Did you find Tallinn Music
Week useful for networking purposes?
How did it compare to other events that
you attend?
Aivar Sirelpuu: This year definitely was
the most interesting year of Tallinn Music
Week – in the music & networking sense.
Of course it’s different from huge events
like the ILMC, but a very necessary and de-
veloping event, which is a much needed in
our region too.
Nokia Concert Hall, Tallinn