On 25 September 2026, Divine Art is proud to present Eduard Tubin’s powerful Requiem for Fallen Soldiers and other major choral works by the composer, performed by the Estonian National Male Choir, conductor Mikk Üleoja. The soloists are Iris Oja (mezzo-soprano), Indrek Vau (trumpet), Madis Metsamart and Anto Õnnis (percussion), and Piret Aidulo (organ).

The album is released to tie in with the sixth annual Tubin Festival from 28 September to 4 October 2026 in Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia; Artistic Director of the Festival Mihhail Gerts has written an excellent article about these choral works for the booklet notes.

Eduard Tubin (1905-1982) is recognized as one of Estonia’s greatest composers. He had to flee the country during World War II and spent his later decades in Sweden, but he drew strength from his national heritage and often incorporated Estonian folk music into his works. He was a devoted choral conductor throughout his entire creative career, and men’s choir music held a particularly special place in his heart. The album includes all his choral songs written during his homeland period, some from the early years of his exile to Sweden, and two major works influenced by the tragedies of World War II: “Reekviem langenud sõduritele” (Requiem for Fallen Soldiers) and “Taganejate sõdurite laul” (Song of the Retreating Soldiers).

He composed all of his choral songs from his homeland period for the men’s choir of the Tartu Men’s Singing Society and remained associated with the group until his escape from Estonia in 1944. The songs include, “Karjase laul” (The Shepherd’s Song), written to a folk text, as well as “Igatsus” (Longing), “Rändaja õhtulaul” (The Wanderer’s Evening Song), and “Noore kotka laul” (Song of the Young Eagle), all set in the 1930s to texts by one of the composer’s favourite poets, Ernst Enno. His rich musical landscapes often depict memories of his youth as a shepherd. Mihhail Gerts says, “These miniatures, characterized by a wide dynamic range and a wealth of tonal colors, transport the listener to the meadows along the shores of Lake Peipus near the composer’s birthplace, where the young music enthusiast spent his summer months.”

In exile, he became conductor of the Stockholm Estonian Male Choir in 1945, for whom he composed his choral songs from the 1950s: “Õhtulaul” (Evening Song), “Karjase pühapäev” (The Shepherd’s Sunday), and “Kaks saarlast” (Two Islanders). The choir also gave the premiere of his last completed large-scale work, Requiem for Fallen Soldiers, although this work was conceived with the predecessor of today’s Estonian National Male Choir in mind. Both the Requiem, set to poignant poetry by Marie Uder and Henrik Visnapuu rather than a traditional liturgical mass, and Song of the Retreating Soldiers, set to a text by Uku Masing, mourn the loss of youth and remember those who died in the Second World War and during the Soviet occupation of his homeland. They occupy a special place in Tubin’s choral music, demonstrating how he returned to the male choir genre to express some of his deepest thoughts and emotions.

The GRAMMY® Award-winning (2004) Estonian National Male Choir (ENMC) is one of the best-known Estonian music ensembles in the world. Constituting of 46 professional singers under the artistic direction of Mikk Üleoja, the ENMC’s Compass reaches from Renaissance music to arrangements and premieres of commissioned works of living composers. The choir has given more than 7,000 concerts, ranging from Estonia to North America and Asia, has performed under renowned conductors such as Paul Hillier, Eric Ericson, Kaspars Putniņš, Teodor Currentzis, and Kent Nagano, among others, and worked with world class orchestras and ensembles. Under the chief conductor Mikk Üleoja, the choir has become an active commissioner of new choral works and an initiator of distinctive collaborative projects. In 2025, the choir premieres 3 new male choir arrangements by Arvo Pärt, among others. In 2015 ENMC and Mikk Üleoja were awarded the State Cultural Award. ENMC has previously recorded for several renowned labels such as Ondine, Toccata Classics, and more.