Jaan Rääts - modernist of Estonian music
Symphony no.3 - The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) made its first international concert tour in 1972, traveling to Romania and Bulgaria. The tour was conducted jointly by Neeme Järvi, who had become the orchestra's principal conductor in 1963, and Roman Matsov.
Symphony no.4 “Cosmic” - Jaan Rääts's Symphony No. 4, Op. 13, "Cosmic" was composed in 1959, only a few months after his Third Symphony. It is one of the most ambitious works from his early period and reflects the excitement surrounding the dawn of the Space Age, which was then at its height.
Concerto for Chamber Orchestra no. 1 op.16 (1961) work that paved the breakthrough for Estonian music in the world
Jaan Rääts is one of the leading figures in the change in style of Estonian music in 1950s, as a new generation of young innovative composers arrived to Estonian music scene.
As a key figure in contemporary Estonian music, Rääts has left an indelible mark on the Estonian and global music scene. His compositions, characterized by their clarity, rhythmic drive, and innovative harmonic language, firmly place him within the realm of modernism.
Modernism in music sought to break away from traditional tonal structures and explore new possibilities in form, harmony, and expression. Jaan Rääts embraced these ideals, incorporating avant-garde techniques and progressive ideas into his compositions.
Jaan Rääts' Symphony no. 3 and Symphony no. 4 are considered to be some of the first examples of modernism in Estonian music. His Concerto for chamber orchestra no.1 op.16, (1961), is a work that took Estonian music to the world an up today is a bussinesscard of Estonian music.
The enthusiasm for innovations of various kinds in Jaan Rääts' music caused great controversy and reproaches at the time (accusations of excessive intellectualism, laconicism, motorism, breaking with traditional form, lack of emotion).
Colleagues have remembered: "Of our generation, Jaan Rääts got the loudest shout from the highest chair at the national congress for his urban symphonies” (Tauk, 2010: 444)
Over time, the disputes subsided, due to the growing popularity of Jaan Rääts' work and a changed attitude towards contemporary music in general. It was precisely this kind of young Estonian music, with its new nationalism and originality of spirit, that found its way more quickly into the international arena (Priit Kuusk 1970). After an interval of more than twenty years, the newly created compositions resounded in the international music scene. In this, the relatively recent newcomer Jaan Rääts had a great deal to do. (Priit Kuusk 1970)
One of the foremost modernists of Estonian music, Jaan Rääts was a prominent advocate of new music already during his time at the Tallinn Conservatoire. Jaan Rääts fought a real battle for the deserved recognition of Shostakovich, whose music people tried to ignore as formalistic. (Kuusk 1970) Jaan Rääts's struggle to defend young composers is also recalled by his long-time colleague Rodion Šedrin in his autobiographical book (2014).
Rodion Shchedrin: And why doesn't anyone think it appropriate to recall Karajov's courageous speech at the 1966 plenary session of the Composers' Union, the year his Third Symphony and my Second were first performed. The Soviet commentators rushed us together like handcuffs, abruptly leading us to the sins of formalism and turning to the twelve-tone rows. /.../ Next, Kabalevsky tried to demolish my claim that the use of twelve-tone was purely a musical technique and had nothing to do with ideology: 'As far as I can see, you and Karaev are on the road together.' As far as I can see, Karaeva and you are on the same road", he declared. One-way streets are the quickest and safest way to move, I shot back from the hall.
Estonian composer Jaan Rääts leapt to our defence, proclaiming it in reference to the dodecaphony bourgeois ideology was like calling the double bass the reactionary child of capitalism.