Kadri-Ann Sumera Piano Concert: “Scenes from Childhood”

Programme: Mägi, Tüür, Bartók, Schumann

Kadri-Ann Sumera has put together a programme that is enjoyable for audiences of all ages. It consists of many short character pieces, each with its own distinctive quality, often played by music students. Yet this is far more than a collection of study pieces: these works are exquisite, subtle and full of poetry, with plenty to say to adults as well.

Ester Mägi’s children’s pieces are brimming with humour and heartfelt sincerity; the fiery rhythms of Béla Bartók’s dances bubble with joie de vivre; and the pieces by Erkki-Sven Tüür, the world-famous composer from Hiiumaa, seem to radiate cosmic power. In his “Kinderszenen”, Robert Schumann seems to become a child himself, continually marvelling, delighting, joking, growing melancholy and becoming swept up in innocent enthusiasm.

This concert is more than a musical performance: Kadri-Ann, a gifted storyteller, also accompanies her playing with stories about the composers, the pieces being performed and her own relationship with them.

Kadri-Ann Sumera is a versatile pianist who performs as a soloist and chamber musician and works as an accompanist for singers. Her repertoire spans music from the Baroque period to the latest contemporary works. Introducing and preserving Estonian music is an important part of her work. She has recorded her father Lepo Sumera’s piano works, as well as music by Mart Saar, Ardo Ran Varres and others.

Kadri-Ann graduated from both the Estonian Academy of Music and the Cologne University of Music. She currently teaches piano and accompaniment at MUBA. She is also a writer, and has published two books: “Seitsme aja raja taga”, based on episodes from her life, and the novel “Basiliski lapsed”.