Paavo Järvi & Estonian Festival Orchestra - Estonian Premieres - BBC Music Magazine

Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi has long championed his homeland’s orchestral composers, and the combination of his tautly expressive Estonian Festival Orchestra (EFO) and the five creatively diverse voices here is captivating.

Most striking and affecting, Tõnu Kõrvits (b1969) offers an exquisite paean To the Moonlight. Written as a lockdown ‘Three Blues for Symphony Orchestra’, his smudged harmonies and melting textures fashion melancholy into something radiant – and thrillingly distinctive.