Rääts, Jaan
Rääts, Jaan
Rääts, Jaan , notable Estonian composer and teacher; b. Tartu, Oct. 15, 1932. He received training in piano from Aleksandra Sarv at the Tartu Music School (graduated, 1952), and then in composition from Mart Saar and Heino Eller at the Tallinn Cons. (graduated, 1957). After working as a sound engineer for the Estonian Radio, he was ed.-in-chief in the dept. of music programs for the Estonian TV (1966–74). He taught at the Estonian Academy of Music from 1968 to 1970, and again from 1974. He also served as chairman of the Estonian Composers Union from 1974 to 1993. Rääts has especially distinguished himself as a composer of instrumental music. His output generally follows along neo-Classical lines.
Works
ORCH.: 8 syms. (1957, 1959, 1959, 1966, 1967, 1973, 1985, 1989); Concerto for Chamber Orch. (1961); 2 violin concertos (1963, 1979); 2 piano concertos (1968, 1983); Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orch. (1986); Five Sketches for Requiem (1996). CHAMBER: 6 string quartets (1955, 1958, 1964, 1970, 1974, 1983) and other pieces. P i a n o : 24 Estonian Preludes (1977); 24 Marginalia for 2 Pianos (1982); several sonatas.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire