Shostakovich 120: Trio ’95

Performers
Annabel Soode (soprano)
Trio ’95: Robert Traksmann (violin), Marcel Johannes Kits (cello), Rasmus Andreas Raide (piano)

About
A concert by Trio ’95, an ensemble made up of leading Estonian musicians, is dedicated to the chamber music of Dmitri Shostakovich. The programme weaves together the expressive “Seven Romances” set to poems by Alexander Blok, the vocal cycle “Satires,” with its sharply critical social undertone, and Shostakovich’s two piano trios. Together, these works offer the chance to experience both the creative energy of the composer’s youth and his mature musical thinking. For the vocal works, the ensemble is joined on stage by Annabel Soode, one of the most acclaimed and versatile sopranos of the younger generation.

Trio ’95 is a passionate piano trio with a broad repertoire, active since 2003. Its members are pianist Rasmus Andreas Raide, violinist Robert Traksmann and cellist Marcel Johannes Kits. The acclaimed performers took their first steps as classmates at Tallinn Music High School, studying with Laine Leichter and later Marrit Gerretz-Traksmann. They completed their higher education in Germany, in Berlin and Karlsruhe. As a trio, they have furthered their studies with Professor Francis Gouton and Professor Aleksandr Bondurjanski.

The trio places great value on performing Estonian music and expanding the piano trio repertoire. Its programmes include works by Jaan Rääts, Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Tõnu Kõrvits. For the 2022 Estonian Music Days and the “Klaaspärlimäng” Festival, new works for the trio were written by Liisa Hõbepappel, Ülo Krigul, Rein Rannap and Kristjan Randalu.

Trio ’95 received the annual award of the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Endowment for Music in 2020 for winning a prestigious international chamber music competition and for its extensive concert activity. The ensemble’s broad repertoire ranges from Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms to works by contemporary composers.

Singer Annabel Soode studies at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and will join the Dutch National Opera Studio from the 2026/2027 season. In 2025, she received the PLMF Estonian Young Singer Award and the Jane Carty Memorial Prize at the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. Annabel has performed across Europe in opera, concert and music theatre, and has collaborated with several leading Estonian musical ensembles. Lied, contemporary music and projects combining different art forms hold an important place in her repertoire.

Programme
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
– Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok, Op. 127 (1967)
– Satires (Pictures of the Past), Op. 109 (1960)
– Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8 (1923)
– Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67 (1944)

Ticket information
Tickets: €35/€25/€75. The supporter ticket (€75) includes a reserved seat in the middle rows of the hall and a guided tour of the building before the concert. The guide will meet you at the information desk at 16:00.

Transfer Tallinn–Arvo Pärt Centre–Tallinn: €20
Book a transfer from Tallinn to Laulasmaa. The vehicle departs Tallinn at 15:45 from the car park next to Solaris (Teatri väljak 1) and stops at 16:00 at the Haabersti Circle K car park (Paldiski mnt 106)*. It arrives at the Arvo Pärt Centre 25 minutes before the event begins. The return journey departs from the Centre’s car park 15 minutes after the event ends and takes you back to the original meeting point. The round-trip fare is €20 per person. Sales close 25 hours before the event begins. The service is provided by PremiumTaxi.

*Another starting point may be arranged by contacting info@arvopart.ee.

Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged.