82nd anniversary of the bombing of Tallinn

Today marks the anniversary of one of the saddest events in Estonian history - the bombing of Tallinn. On the evening of 9th March 1944, over 300 Soviet aircraft dropped more than 3,000 bombs on the city of Tallinn in two waves. The raids targeted Tallinn's city centre and harbour area and destroyed thousands of buildings, including the Estonian National Opera and many historic landmarks. Around 760 people were killed, 600 wounded and more than 20,000 residents left without shelter.

This was one of many horrendous crimes committed by the Soviet Union during World War Two. For some Estonians, it is still part of their living memory.  The event will never be forgotten.

 

Bears starting to wake from their winter slumber

Estonia has issued an official notice that bears have begun to wake up from hibernation. People are advised to keep dogs on a leash and calmly back away if they encounter a bear. Estonia has around 1,000 bears in the wild. Estonian brown bears live primarily in the northeastern and eastern parts of the country, particularly within the vast and dense forests of the Alutaguse region.

 

 

Learn more about bears and their habitat in this video.

'Discover Alutaguse National Park in Estonia'.

 

Photo flashback: Tallinn 1912

 Colourised photograph of Uus Turg / New Market in Tallinn, 1912.

New Estonian Documentary: "Tallinn in Flames" (Tallinn leekides)

Last Saturday, Mart Sander's historic documentary "Tallinn in Flames" (Tallinn leekides) had its world premier at the 7th Tbilisi International Documentary Festival and received the Audience Choice Award. The film tells the story of the fateful night of March 9, 1944, when the Soviet Air Force dropped over 800 tons of explosive and incendiary bombs on Tallinn.

The Estonian premier of the film will be screened at Cinema Artis on March 9 at 8pm.

Estonian maestro Paavo Järvi named new London Philharmonic Orchestra chief conductor

The London Philharmonic Orchestra announced today that Paavo Järvi will succeed Edward Gardner as chief conductor from the 2028-29 season, when Gardner’s current contract comes to an end.

Paavo Järvi, 63, was born in Tallinn into a musical dynasty. His father Neeme is also a conductor as well as his younger brother Kristjan. The family moved to the USA in 1980, and Järvi studied at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music and at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute with Leonard Bernstein.

 

Järvi's distinguished career has seen him work with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Malmö Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Tokyo’s NHK Symphony and the Orchestre de Paris, where he was music director from 2010-2016.

 

The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) was founded in 1932 by Sir Thomas Beecham and is now a resident orchestra at London's Southbank Centre. It has served as the prestigious Glyndebourne Festival's resident symphony orchestra since 1964 and also performs in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden, alongside international tours. Järvi is already conducting the LPO in a program of works by Tchaikovsky and Sibelius at the Royal Festival Hall tomorrow.

 

Estonia: Hidden Fairytale of the North

Winter beauty in Estonia

Some stunning images have come out of Estonia recently. Here are a few of my favourites. The Estonian landscape truly is a winter wonderland during this time of year. 

 

Saaremaa

 

 

 Tamme-Lauri Oak Tree, Antsla

 

Simuna