In 2025, the Mikrokosmos choir will celebrate Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday and Veljo Tormis’s 95th birthday with Saga of the peoples without armour, a vibrant homage to these two masters of Estonian music. Under the direction of Loïc Pierre, the performance touches on three themes: the memory of the Baltic peoples, embodied by Tormis’s secular and Pärt’s sacred works; the French language, which boasts unique adaptations of Tormis’s compositions; and kabuki theatre, whose stage design and dramaturgy create a bridge between the Eastern and the Western world.

Audiences will be swept away on a musical and visual journey featuring non-traditional instruments where songs of harvest, grief and celebration mix with modern sounds. The choir’s costumes combine Baltic and Japanese traditions and add a sparkling visual touch, while the immersive stage design will make audiences feel deeply connected to the tumultuous history of the Baltic peoples.

Saga of the peoples without armour is much more than a concert. It’s an encompassing scenographic experience, a cappella music mixing with poetry and dramatic art to transmit a deeply moving universal message.

French adaptation : Pierre Gief
Dramaturgy : Pierre Gief and Loïc Pierre
Scenography, stage direction and musical direction: Loïc Pierre

Programme to be confirmed:

Veljo Tormis /Helletüsed / Souvenirs d’enfance, appels du troupeau

Arvo Pärt / O Weisheit / Ô Sagesse

Veljo Tormis /Kolm eesti mängulaulu / 3 chants de travail Varjele, Jumala soasta / Plus jamais ça Lauliku lapsepõli / Berceuse bleue

Arvo Pärt / O Morgenstern / Ô étoile du matin

Veljo Tormis / Röntyshkä II et III Kiigelaulul I et II Ringmangulaulul Veimevaka jagamine Oekene, Sirgukene

Arvo Pärt / O Adonai

Veljo Tormis / Ussissõnad / Le serpent

Veljo Tormis /Raua needmine / L’incantation du fer

Cyrillus Kreek : Maga, Maga, Matsikene / Vie