Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
00:05 I. Moderato
11:16 II. Allegro
14:27 III. Andante, pesante
24:14 IV. Allegro moderato
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Guntis Kuzma
Jānis Ivanovs (1906-1983) was one of Latvia's most influential composers. For more on Ivanovs, see my score video of his fourth symphony "Atlantīda": youtube.com/watch?v=VfciueeCWtk
Ivanovs' late works often contain a natural pensiveness and tension, as he strove to balance his compositional vision with the demands of the Soviet system. Even by the composer's own standards, however, the 16th symphony is perhaps one of his most poignant, grave, and foreboding essays in the genre. It was written in 1974 when Brezhnev was in power in the Soviet Union, a time of stagnation and, arguably, one in which many Latvians doubted how long their culture and homeland could continue to exist—as expressed equally eloquently in music by the much younger Pēteris Vasks nine years later in his "Musica dolorosa" for string orchestra.
00:05 I. Moderato
11:16 II. Allegro
14:27 III. Andante, pesante
24:14 IV. Allegro moderato
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Guntis Kuzma
Jānis Ivanovs (1906-1983) was one of Latvia's most influential composers. For more on Ivanovs, see my score video of his fourth symphony "Atlantīda": youtube.com/watch?v=VfciueeCWtk
Ivanovs' late works often contain a natural pensiveness and tension, as he strove to balance his compositional vision with the demands of the Soviet system. Even by the composer's own standards, however, the 16th symphony is perhaps one of his most poignant, grave, and foreboding essays in the genre. It was written in 1974 when Brezhnev was in power in the Soviet Union, a time of stagnation and, arguably, one in which many Latvians doubted how long their culture and homeland could continue to exist—as expressed equally eloquently in music by the much younger Pēteris Vasks nine years later in his "Musica dolorosa" for string orchestra.
![EDUARD TUBIN - Symphony No. 11 [unfinished] (Score Video)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l-vYcU8buKo/mqdefault.jpg "EDUARD TUBIN - Symphony No. 11 [unfinished] (Score Video)
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arvo Volmer
Eduard Tubin (1905-1982) was an Estonian composer and conductor, his countrys most prolific and arguably greatest symphonist. Having completed his studies under another very prominent Estonian composer, Heino Eller (whose music I also plan to upload), in independent Estonia, Tubin fled following the Soviet reoccupation of his country in 1944. He settled permanently in Sweden for the rest of his life, writing many of his most important works, being elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and becoming a Swedish citizen in 1961. In addition to an impressive eleven symphonies, Tubin wrote two operas, the first Estonian ballet (Kratt), concerti for double bass and balalaika, choral music, art songs, and chamber and solo works (particularly violin and piano music.)
For those unacquainted with Tubin, his orchestral music - particularly the symphonies of his middle and later period - shares some common elements with Shostakovich, often marrying relatively rigid formal structures like fugues with rather astringent harmonic ideas and an unexpected emotional intensity. He also brought Estonian folk music into several of his works. Although Tubins work was initially somewhat unrecognized outside Estonia (even in Sweden), it has gained prominence in the last few decades due to the efforts of Estonian conductors including Neeme and Paavo Järvi.
The eleventh symphony, which Tubin was working on when he passed away in 1982, combines the aforementioned characteristics with a rather bright orchestration typical of his later music. The last minute or so of the first movement was completed by the Estonian-Canadian composer Kaljo Raid, resulting in the recording here; the score I have available is a copy of Tubins manuscript and thus does not contain this completion.
I now have scores of all of Tubins symphonies except the first; some of them are scans of old and battered copies, so they will take a little longer to upload - especially as most of his symphonic works are quite substantial in both musical material and length. I also plan to post his balalaika concerto soon, so if you enjoyed this work, stay tuned for more!")
