Erkki-Sven Tüür: 7 Etudes in Pictures

The northern Baltic landscape, disputations about music, a look at Estonia’s culture and modern history. Erkki-Sven Tüür is the best known Estonian composer after Arvo Pärt. The film presents a visually compelling portrait of a “spiritual minimalist” who used to be a lighthouse keeper on the Faroe Islands, plus a musical feast: a work clearly made for the big screen. Tüür’s music is purportedly influenced by King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Frank Zappa and Genesis, yet the composer also employs a broad spectrum of compositional techniques, from Gregorian chant to explosive theatricality. What does it mean to be a composer? How is a musical work born? The film observes the composer at work in his rural home environment, it also follows him onstage (with renowned conductor Neeme Järvi) and captures a reunion with his progressive rock band In Spe. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)