Kristjan Randalu & Martin Kuuskmann
Biographie Kristjan Randalu & Martin Kuuskmann
Martin Kuuskmann
Estonian-born bassoon virtuoso, Martin Kuuskmann's charismatic and entertaining performances throughout the world have earned him repute as one of the leading solo instrumentalists. The New York Times praised Kuuskmann’s playing as “dynamic…amazing…Kuuskmann played stunningly…” and in 2007 he received a Grammy Nomination for his recording of David Chesky’s bassoon concerto.
As a strong advocate for new music, Kuuskmann has premiered eight bassoon concertos written especially for him by Erkki-Sven Tüür, Eino Tamberg, Tõnu Kõrvits, Christopher Theofanidis, David Chesky, Gregor Huebner, Gene Pritsker and Charles Coleman, and is working on upcoming concertos by Miguel Kertsman and Matthias Müller. His collaboration with composers including Daniel Schnyder, Helena Tulve and jazz icon John Patitucci have lead to numerous new solo works from bassoon and string quartet to bassoon and electronics. Kuuskmann has performed Michael Daugherty's madcap concerto "Dead Elvis" across the world nearly 50 times.
A sought-after soloist, Kuuskmann's past season included concertos by J.S.Bach, Mozart, Theofanidis and Tüür with orchestras such as Orchestre de la Suiss Romande, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Järvi Festival Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, 1B1 Ensemble. In June 2013 Kuuskmann appeared by the invitation of the International Double Reed Society at the IDRS conference in California, with the bassoon concerto by Stephen Paulson, a composer and solo bassoonist of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Kuuskmann has been a frequent soloist with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Macao Orchestra, Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Absolute Ensemble, Riga Sinfonietta, Grazioso Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Norrlandsoperan, among others.
This upcoming season Martin Kuuskmann will appear on stage of the Usedom Festival (with Erkki-Sven Tüürs Bassoon Concerto and the Baltic Youth Philharmonic/Kristjan Järvi) as well as at the Carnegie Hall giving his debut with Theofanidis Concerto and the American Composers Orchestra under the baton of Roberto Spano. Further Martin Kuuskmann is going to release Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Bassoon Concerto (MDR Orchestra) and Theofanidis’ Bassoon Concerto (Northwest Sinfonia, Seattle). At the International Double Reed Society Conference in New York and the Glasperlenspiel Festival in Estonia Kuuskmann premiered two Bassoon Concertos by Gene Pritsker and Ülo Krigul. Besides his career as a soloist he will be teaching several masterclasses in the US (Maine) and Europe (St. Petersburg and Moscow).
A frequent guest in festivals, Kuuskmann appears regularly at the Järvi Summer Festival, Bremen Musikfest, Usedom Musikfestival as well as Landsberg, Kuhmo, Gaia, Umeå, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, to name just a few. As an avid chamber musician Kuuskmann is a co-founder of Trio Mann along with oboist Christoph Hartmann (Berlin Philharmonic) and pianist Hendrik Heilmann, exploring a wide range of repertory from solo chamber music to trios.
Kuuskmann's latest recording of reconstructed bassoon concertos by J.S.Bach with co-soloist, violist Lars Anders Tomter and the 1B1 Ensemble, was released to high praise on Simax records in 2012. His critically acclaimed solo cd "Nonstop" and other albums are available on ERP, Erdenklang, CCn'C and Chesky record labels. In July 2012 Kuuskmann is to record the much awaited release of Theofanidis bassoon concerto with the Boston Modern Orchestra under the direction of Gil Rose.
A graduate of the Yale and the Manhattan Schools of Music, Kuuskmann's mentors include Stephen Maxym, Frank Morelli, Ilmar Aasmets and Rufus Olivier. As an avid educator, Kuuskmann teaches at the Manhattan School of Music Contemporary Performance Program and at Cornish College of Arts in Seattle, serves as the woodwind coach of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic and teaches regularly at the Arosa Music Academy in Switzerland. Kuuskmann is a founding member and solo bassoonist of the New York City based Absolute Ensemble. An artist of Moosmann bassoons and Miller Marketing Company, Martin Kuuskmann plays on the Moosmann 222E model bassoon and on reeds by KJI and Légere.
Kristjan Randalu
belongs to the most sought-after piano players of his generation, carrying the torch in both the improvised world of jazz and the traditional realm of classical music – Herbie Hancock has called him “a dazzling piano player”. Between creating his own original blend of contemporary jazz as a leader and collaborating with several generations of respected musicians, from the likes of fellow ECM recording artist Trygve Seim to saxophonist David Liebman, Randalu has brought his music to some of the world’s most renowned jazz festivals and concert halls. At the same time, he is viewed as an esteemed interpreter of a broad spectrum of contemporary and classical music, performing alongside internationally acclaimed orchestras and conductors.
Born in Estonia’s capital Tallinn to pianist parents in 1978, Randalu and his family soon moved to Germany where he began studying piano in Karlsruhe and Cologne before graduating from the Stuttgart Music University. His studies would later bring him to the Royal Academy of Music in London as well as the Manhattan School of Music, attaining an additional master’s degree and exposing him to respected teachers such as John Taylor, Django Bates and Kenny Barron, among many others.
Over the years, Randalu has performed with countless top tier musicians and collaborated with modern day vanguards in jazz and beyond, from oudist Dhafer Youssef, drum virtuoso Ari Hoenig and trumpeter Nils-Petter Molvær to the likes of Nguyên Lê, Ambrose Akinmusire and Gilad Hekselman, to name but a few in a long list of household names. His 2018 recording Absence (featuring guitar marvel Ben Monder and drummer Markku Ounaskari) represents Randalu’s leader debut for the famed ECM label and was met with great acclaim – Jazzwise magazine praising the “meteorological moodiness” of the music on the album for being “at once passionate and studied”, while DownBeat magazine went as far as calling him “a pillar of stability” and “clearly capable of breathtaking displays of technique and showmanship”.
Among the pianist’s frequent collaborators are drummer Bodek Janke and bassist Petros Klampanis in varying formations, while his duo outing, Mussorgsky Pictures Revisited (BMC Records, 2020), saw him recasting Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s model example of program music with saxophone legend David Liebman – clearly revealing Randalu’s passion for classical music in a virtuoso display that landed in The New York City Jazz Record’s “Best of 2020” list. The 2022 recording Sisu (Whirlwind Recordings) marked Randalu’s debut as big band composer and arranger and was awarded Jazz Album of the Year at the Estonian Music Awards. Most recently, with his unique and improvisation-encompassing approach to Schumann’s Dichterliebe (Berlin Classics, 2024), Randalu has not only deepened his musical ties to the classical world, but presented a truly original recasting of one of the Romantic repertoire’s cornerstones.
As a composer, Randalu refers to Erkki-Sven Tüür and Tõnu Kõrvits being among his mentors, which accounts for his discerning approach to form and harmonic structure. Precise delivery and expressive playing are among his many virtues and in-demand qualities in classical settings, too – having brought him to celebrity conductors like Kristjan Järvi and Dennis Russell Davies on the one hand and esteemed ensembles of the stature of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra on the other.
With a discography of over 50 albums under his belt (including a Grammy-nominated recording) and numerous awards to his name (including “Jazz Artist of the Year” and “Jazz Composer of the year” in Estonia), Randalu’s prolific oeuvre continues to grow in breadth and quality as his unique voice is becoming internationally more and more important.
