ESTONIAN SYMPHONIC MUSIC. THE FIRST CENTURY 1896-1996.
studied choral composition between 1895 and 1897, settled in Tartu in 1900. There he
founded the first Estonian symphony orchestra composed of students, school teachers
and pupils from the secondary school. The first performance of the orchestra took place
in November 1900, compositions by Haydn, Schubert and Cherubini were performed
and the audience’s reception was extremely warm. Inspired by this success Läte
organised two choirs to perform cantatas and oratorios. At the same time he was active
as a music critic and one of the pioneers of Estonian chamber music. His most fruitful
years were between 1900 and 1907. The output of the composer indicates a transition,
after a long formative process, from following German patterns to a more crisp
expression.
His first attempt in symphonic music was the overture Kalevala (1897,
completed in 1900), the term-work at the Dresden Conservatoire, depicting the Finnish
national epic in sound
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