Sten Lassmann plays Heino Eller’s piano music in the second “Harmonia Universitatis” concert

On Thursday, 29 February, Sten Lassmann will perform the “Homeland Tunes” piano recital as part of the “Harmonia Universitatis” concert series of the University of Tartu and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

The renowned pianist Sten Lassmann, Senior Lecturer in Piano at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, will dedicate the special concert to the legendary piano works by Heino Eller. With the concert, the pianist celebrates his long creative work and presents the complete recordings of Eller’s music, of which the last disc was released last year. The project is significant for Lassmann. “The recording of Eller’s complete piano works is for me the greatest creative self-realisation, art-historical research and cultural mission,” he said. In 2024, Lassmann was awarded the Estonian Music Award for the classical music album of the year for “Heino Eller. Complete Piano Music, Volume Nine”. 

In this concert, Lassmann will present a comprehensive overview of Eller’s piano works, covering all the composer's most important styles and genres. Lassmann is delighted for the opportunity to perform in the university’s fascinating assembly hall. “The University of Tartu is also close to me personally. My grandfather Aadu Loog was a long-standing dean of the University of Tartu’s Faculty of Biology and Geography, and as a child, I spent much time in the botanical garden and the faculty building on Vanemuise street,” he said. 

Heino Eller’s piano compositions are the most important part of Estonia's national musical heritage, alongside Eduard Tubin’s symphonies and Mart Saar’s choral songs. The acclaimed and beloved Eller wrote piano music throughout his life and is now considered the spiritual father of several generations of composers. His music is rich and characteristically Estonian, like, for example, in the much-loved symbolic works of classical music, “Homeland Tune” and “Bells”. 

The concert series was launched by the University of Tartu and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre to offer beautiful musical experiences to students and others interested in the magnificent assembly hall of the University of Tartu. Tickets to the 29 February concert are available at Piletikeskus. Schoolchildren and students can download a free ticket. 

Programme 

• Butterfly (Liblikas, 1935) 
• Moment musicale in F sharp minor (Muusikaline hetk, fis-moll, 1915) 
• Danse du Faune (Fauni tants, 1917) 
• Shepherd’s Song (Karjase laul, 1917) 
• La fille du nord (Põhjala neid, 1919) 
• Preludes, Book II (Prelüüdid, II vihik, 1920) 
• Piano Sonata no 2 (Klaverisonaat nr 2, 1939–1940) 

Interval 

• Estonian Suite (Eesti süit, 1946) 
• Estonian Dance (Eesti tants, 1934) 
• Episode from Revolution Time (Episood revolutsiooniajast, 1917) 
• Piano Sonata no 4 (Klaverisonaat nr 4, 1957–1958)