biography

Mati Turi (tenor) Mati Turi graduated from the choral conducting class of Prof. Ants Üleoja at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. He also studied singing with Prof. Jaakko Ryhänen. He worked at the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir from 1992–2004 and since 2005 has pursued a free-lance musician’s career. Since 2009, Mati Turi has won recognition on European opera venues as a Wagner-tenor. Recently Turi appeared as the title character of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” (Estonian National Opera), “Parsifal” (Chemnitz Opera) and “Siegfried” (Opera North) as well as Siegfried in Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung” (Longborough Opera Festival and Nationale Reisopera in Holland), as well as Paul in Korngold’s “Die tote Stadt” (the Finnish National Opera),

Don José in Bizet’s “Carmen” and Alwa in Berg’s “Lulu” (both at Kokkola Opera), Mefistófeles in Busoni’s “Doktor Faust” (Schleswig-Holstein Landestheater), Kalev (Puur’s “The Colours of Clouds”), Wallenberg 2 in Tüür’s “Wallenberg” (the Estonian National Opera) and, among others, in Haydn’s operas at the Nargen Opera. He makes regular performances in major vocal-symphonic works, such as Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde”, J. S. Bach’s Passions, Händel’s oratorios and Rachmaninoff’s “Vespers”. With his long-time chamber music partner pianist Martti Raide, Mati Turi has performed and recorded music of Mahler, Wolf, Schubert, Schumann, Grieg, Sibelius, Mart Saar and the composers Kapp. Mati Turi has won the Annual Estonian Cultural Endowment Award (2002), Estonian Music Council Award and the Annual Estonian Cultural Endowment Award (2012) as well as the Georg Ots Award (2018).

Awards

Annual Estonian Cultural Endowment Award (2002),
Estonian Music Council Award and the Annual Estonian Cultural Endowment Award (2012),
Georg Ots Award (2018).

repertoire

Opera repetoire

Mao – John Adams Nixon in China (Concert performance, Tallinn, 1998);
Prince – Antonín Dvořák Rusalka (Alexander Theatre, Finland, 2004);
Endel – Karl Aaugust Hermann Uku ja Vanemuine ning Raimo Kangro Uku ja Ecu (Kontsertettekanne, Tallinn, 1998);
Hull naine – Benjamin Britten Curlew River (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s opera project at Tallinn City Theatre, 2004);
Gernardo – Joseph Haydn The Desert Island (Nargen Opera, 2004);
Ecclitico – Joseph Haydn The World of the Moon (Nargen Opera, 2005);
Rinaldo – Joseph Haydn Armida (Nargen Opera, 2005);
Juhana – Joonas Kokkonen The Last Temptations (Tampere Opera, 2005);
Cassio – Giuseppe Verdi Otello (Estonian National Opera, 2005);
Florestan – Ludwig van Beethoven Fidelio (Nargen Opera, 2005);
Wallenberg 2 – Erkki-Sven Tüür Wallenberg (Estonian National Opera, 2007);
Mephistopheles – Ferruccio Busoni Doctor Faustus (Schleswig-Holstein, 2009);
Alwa – Alban Berg Lulu (Kokkola Opera, 2009);
Don José – Georges Bizet Carmen (Kokkola Opera, 2010);
Paul – Erich Wolfgang Korngold Dead City (Finnish National Opera, 2010);
Siegfried – Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen/Siegfried (Nationale Reisopera, Enschede, The Netherlands, 2011; Longborough Festival Opera, 2012; Opera North, England 2013);
Siegfried – Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen/Götterdämmerung (Nationale Reisopera, Enschede, The Netherlands, 2012; Opera North, England 2014 and 2016);
Tannhäuser – Richard Wagner Tannhäuser (Estonian Nartional Opera, 2013);
Erik – Richard Wagner Der fliegende Hollander (Opera North, 2015).
Parsifal – Richard Wagner Parsifal (Theater Chemnitz, Germany, 2013);
Phoebus, Autumn and Chinese man – Henry Purcell The Fairy Queen (Theatre Vanemuine, 2011);
Goffredi – Georg Friedrich Händel Rinaldo (Estonian Nartional Opera, 2013);
Jonas Kempe – Eduard Tubin The Parson of Reigi (Theatre Vanemuine, 2014);
Prince Andrey Khovansky – Modest Mussorgsky Khovanshchina (Oper Stuttgart, 2014 and 2016);
Ismaele – Giuseppe Verdi Nabucco (Tampere Opera, 2015);

Oratorios

There are all of the Passions by Bach (both the Evangelist’s parts and arias), Magnificat, Mass in B minor, Christmas Oratorio and numerous cantatas; Marian Vespers by Monteverdi, Membra Jesu Nostri by Buxtehude, most of Händel’s oratorios, Requiems by Verdi, Dvořák and Mozart, 9th symphony by Beethoven, 8th symphony and Das Lied von der Erde by Mahler, Paulus by Mendelssohn, Missa di Gloria by Puccini, the cantata Rinaldo by Brahms, Vespers by Rachmaninov, Carmina Burana by Orff (tenor and bariton), Christus by Liszt, Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher by Honegger, Oidipus Rex by Stravinsky (also in staged version), Glagolitic Mass by Janáček, Psalmus Hungaricus by Kodály, Sankt-Bach-Passion by Kagel, St John Passion and Litany by Pärt, Litany to Thunder, Curse upon iron and Estonian Ballads by Tormis etc.

Chamber music

As a chamber musician, Mati Turi has mainly working with pianist Martti Raide making lied-concerts with the music by Mozart, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann,. Wolf, Mahler, Sibelius, Grieg, Strauss, Debussy, Rahmaninov, Schönberg, Webern ect. He has also sung solo songs by Estonian composers such as Artur, Villem and Eugen Kapp, M. Saar, E. Tubin, E. Oja, E. Mägi and premiered music by Tõnu Kõrvits and Pärt Uusberg.