Concert-performance “Les Élémens: from Baroque Dance to the Rubble of Life”
Producer and choreographer Ingmar Jõela
Cast:
Maria Listra: soprano
Heldur Harry Põlda: tenor
Dancers and actors: Utopia Entertainment and Utopia Conceptual
Allar Valge, Miika Pihlak, Simoona Peensalu, Eveli Ojasaar, Marleen Jõela, Eva Metspalu and Eliisabel Jõela
ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Andrus Kallastu
Concertmaster: Arvo Leibur
What happens when Baroque, with its elevated nature, contradictions, grotesque elements and shimmer, clashes with the chaos of 21st-century life? The concert-performance “Les Élémens” was created to celebrate the 307th anniversary of Kadriorg. It is not merely an evening of music and a historically accurate costume display; it is a poetic exploration aimed at discovering meaning or connection within the human experience, the fragility of fleeting moments and existential desire.
It is a meditation on life in dance form, where the Baroque chaos of Jean-Féry Rebel (“Les Élémens”) and the hard-hitting insights on humanity of Baltasar Gracián converge with modern poetic expressions. Philosophy, music, movement and satire meet on stage to create an existential pattern that offers no final answers, instead inviting us to experience and reflect.
Baroque as an era cherished contrasts: beauty and ugliness, virtue and sin, light and shadow, the secrets of life and death. This is where carpe diem and memento mori unite: life as a masquerade ball before the final fleeting moment.
Perhaps it is this that makes love come alive, not as the central narrative, but as an impulse that constantly fades and is rediscovered.
What makes a human?
Dust, gasps, love and sneezing.
Birth, growth, loss and embraces.
All the light. Or silence.
EVERYTHING.
ALL AT ONCE.
Programme
Act 1
Scene 1. BIRTH
Creation of the world. Birth. Air, fire, earth and water. Light and shadow.
Jean-Féry Rebel: Les Élémens, Part 1 “Chaos”
Performed by: dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Les Élémens by Jean-Féry Rebel is one of the boldest and most innovative pieces of Baroque music, composed in 1737 as a ballet for the king’s court. The piece depicts the creation of the world and the four core elements – earth, water, air and fire – with the chaos and the subsequent search for balance created by their fusion. It is picturesque, physical and fascinatingly modern. The composition opens with the renowned “Le Cahos” (“Chaos”): a jarring, tumultuous swirl of chords that represents the chaos of the universe prior to creation. The opening was completely unique in its time and to the current listener more closely resembles a 20th-century modernist piece.
Scene 2. ROUTINE AND RITUAL
Growth. Creation. Building. Coming together and everyday life.
Georg Friedrich Handel: “Da Tempeste”, Cleopatra’s aria from the opera Giulio Cesare (Giulio Cesare in Egitto, 1724)
Performed by: Maria Listra, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
This is a glowing and joyous aria sung by Cleopatra in Act 3, where everything seems to finally come together, making her experience light and hope again.
Before this, Cleopatra was imprisoned and her life was in danger, but now, free again and reunited with her beloved Caesar, she is bursting with happiness. She compares herself to a ship which has made its way to port after an enormous storm.
This virtuoso aria is full of energy and levity, akin to a victory over life’s challenges.
Georg Friedrich Handel: “Empio, per farti guerra”, Bajazet’s aria from the opera Tamerlano
Performed by: Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
This intense and dramatic aria is sung by the imprisoned Turkic sultan Bajazet, full of fury directed at the Tatar ruler Tamerlane, who tried to force himself upon Bajazet’s daughter Asteria. Bajazet expresses his displeasure and readiness to fight, calls his rival cruel, and swears to use all of his force and anger to destroy him. The aria is full of fiery energy, rapid passages and iron will. It is a true declaration of war, both in love and in the fight for power.
Scene 3. CUSTOMS and TRADITIONS
Social masks. Teachings. Truth. Lie.
Carpe diem: mindless gluttony. The masquerade ball of life and the endless chase.
Georg Friedrich Handel: Concerto grosso “Alexander’s Feast, or the Power of Music” from the ode Alexander’s Feast
Performed by: dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
This festive and radiant piece was written in 1736 for the London audience as an intermediate piece for Handel’s cantata Alexander’s Feast. For the premiere in Covent Garden, Handel brought 80 musicians on stage, and the piece quickly gained popularity. The concerto masterfully unites Italian virtuosity and English festivity in the contrast between the lively opening and the beautiful and emotional slow section.
Georg Friedrich Handel – “Non disperar, chi sa?” (“Do not despair, who knows?”), Cleopatra’s aria from the opera Giulio Cesare
Performed by: Maria Listra, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
The aria “Non dispera, chi sa?” is light and flirty, full of playfulness and flattery. Here, Cleopatra uses her humour and feminine charms to gain Caesar’s attention and trust. She sings that one should not lose hope as luck can soon change: who knows, maybe in the next moment.
The aria is not merely an expression of revenge, but speaks of human duality and the connection between love and violence. In true Baroque fashion, the deepest love is capable of the biggest destruction.
Georg Friedrich Handel: “Io già t’amai” (“I loved you already”), Grimoaldo’s aria from the opera Rodelinda
Performed by: Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Grimoaldo reflects on having once loved Rodelinda but being rejected by her. Now, having become king, he is wounded and full of spite: he refuses to share his power with someone who once despised his love. Love has turned into bitterness and hunger for power.
Georg Friedrich Handel: “Svegliatevi nel core” (“Awaken, my heart!”), Sesto’s aria from the opera Giulio Cesare
Performed by: Maria Listra, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Sextus (son of Pompey) has just witnessed the murder of his father (Ptolemy, the king of Egypt, ordered the killing of Pompey). He is distraught and desperate, and anger and revenge have awoken in him.
In the text of the aria, he shouts: “awaken, feel pain and rage, rise for revenge!”
He swears not to rest until he has avenged his father.
Scene 4. DESIRE and PLAY
Falling in love and wedding (or mating) games. Suitors and serenades. Proposal.
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: Battalia, Parts 1–4 (“Sonata”, “The Rowdy Pub”, “Presto” and “Der Mars”)
Biber’s Battalia is a comedic and dramatic composition from the early Baroque era, featuring music that depicts a battle with its grotesque, tragic and comical elements. The piece begins by showing marching soldiers and choirs of drunk, disorderly men. This is followed by a tumultuous battle, and the piece ends with quiet, sombre notes of grief.
What makes Battalia unique is Biber’s bold imagination: the simultaneous sound of multiple scales, unpredictable dissonances, weapon-like pizzicatos and rhythmic “shots”. This is one of the earliest examples of programmatic music; it unites humorous and critical viewpoints of war with masterful soundscapes.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “Pa-Pa-Pa-Papageno”, Papageno’s and Papagena’s duet from the opera The Magic Flute
Performed by: Maria Listra, Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
The jovial and light-hearted love duet between Papageno and Papagena takes place at the end of the opera, showing Papageno in a desperate state over not having found a lover. Papagena appears, and they repeat each other’s names with joy and excitement. They dream of getting married, having many children (whom they playfully call “Pa-Pa-Pa…”) and living happily ever after.
Georges Bizet: “Séguedille. Près des remparts de Séville” (“Seguidilla. Under the walls of Seville”), Carmen’s aria from the opera Carmen (1875)
Performed by: Maria Listra, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
The aria is heard in Act 1 of the opera. Carmen has been arrested for fighting. In her aria, she tries to entice Don José to free her. Carmen tells him that she dreams of going to dance and drink wine at the tavern of Lillas Pastia, feeling the pleasures and passion of the night, and falling in love, and she promises Don José that he can join her if he dares.
Georg Friedrich Handel: “As Steals the Morn”, duet from the pastoral ode L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (“The Cheerful Man, the Thoughtful Man and the Moderate Man”)
Performed by: Maria Listra, Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
This is a beautiful, quiet and hopeful duet from the third part of Handel’s oratorio (“Moderato”), praising moderation and poise.
The text was inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and depicts the morning slowly creeping in to overtake the night, dispersing the night just as hope and joy disperse sadness and pain.
Giuseppe Verdi: “Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici” (“Let’s Drink from the Joyful Cups”), duet from the opera La Traviata
Performed by: Maria Listra, Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
“Let’s drink! Let’s live in the moment and celebrate joy, as life is short.” The duet is an ode to hedonism, carefree love and careless living.
However, there are also hints of the tragic and ironic shades that describe La Traviata: the audience knows that this carpe diem atmosphere is fragile and will soon shatter.
Intermission (40 min)
Act 2
Scene 5. CRISIS. DESTRUCTION. CHAOS
The unexpected. Accidents. Losses. Insanity. Dialogue with God in a sea of chaos. Death and grief.
Jean-Féry Rebel: Les Élémens, Part 10 “Premier Tambourin: L’Eau”
Performed by: dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Rebel’s Les Élémens is a bold and innovative piece which sonically depicts the basic elements of nature. “Premier Tambourin: L’Eau” paints the movement of flowing, playful water through the rhythmic beats of the tambourine: gently babbling at one moment, and intensely roaring in the next.
Vincenzo Bellini: “Casta Diva” (“Chaste Goddess”), Norma’s aria from the opera Norma
Performed by: Maria Listra, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
The aria “Casta Diva” is one of the most well-known from the bel canto repertoire. It is the main character Norma’s plea to the moon (a goddess) to bring her peace and calm.
Cristoph Willibald Gluck: “Che farò senza Euridice” (“What Will I Do Without Euridice?”), Orpheus’s aria from the opera Orfeo ed Euridice
Performed by: Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
“What Will I Do Without Euridice?” is one of the most well-known arias, performed by Orpheus after he has forever lost his beloved Euridice. Although he has brought her back from the underworld, he breaks the rules by looking back at her and thus condemns her to eternal death.
Henry Purcell: “Dido’s Lament” (“When I Am Laid in the Earth”), final aria from the opera Dido and Aeneas (1689)
Performed by: Maria Listra, Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Dido is the queen of Carthage, abandoned by Aeneas. She feels unable to carry this shame and pain any longer, prepares for her death, and wishes to be remembered not for her sorrow but for her dignity.
In her farewell, Dido says that once she’s laid to rest in the earth, her mistakes must not burden others: she shall be remembered as a human, but her sad fate must be forgotten.
Georg Friedrich Handel: “Lascia ch’io pianga” (“Let Me Weep”), Almirena’s aria from the opera Rinaldo
Performed by: Maria Listra, Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Joseph Haydn: “Il Terremoto” (“Earthquake”), Part 9 from The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross
Performed by: dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Haydn’s “Il Terremoto” is a powerful and astonishing ending to his meditative piece The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross . It depicts an earthquake which, according to the gospel, followed the last breath of Christ. The dramatic music, full of sudden accents, quick and stormy movement and dissonant sonic layers, paints a picture of the trembling earth, fear of nature, and human fragility and shock.
Scene 6. THE NEW DAY. CONSOLATION AND REDEMPTION
The new day, where only true and pure love remains.
Giacomo Puccini: “O mio babbino caro” (“Oh My Dear Papa”), Lauretta’s aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi (1918)
Performed by: Maria Listra, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
In this aria, young Lauretta turns to her father, asking him to allow the marriage between her and her lover. She even threatens to throw herself into a river if he refuses to listen, illustrating the intensity of her feelings.
Giacomo Puccini: “E lucevan le stelle” (“And The Stars Were Shining”), Mario Cavaradossi’s aria from the opera Tosca (premiered on 14 January 1900, at Teatro Costanzi in Rome)
Performed by: Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
The aria is heard in Act 3 of the opera. It is Mario Cavaradossi’s farewell to life and love before his execution. Mario is reminiscing about the night when he was with his beloved Tosca, when stars were shining and the earth was full of passion. Memories of love are his only possession, his last rays of light before eternal darkness.
This is a song of longing and loss, but also of how beauty and passion are not lost even in death, as they are transformed into a starry sky.
Georg Friedrich Handel: “Guardian Angels, Oh, Protect Me”, an aria from the oratorio The Triumph of Time and Truth (premiered in English in London, 1757)
Performed by: Maria Listra, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
This aria, one of the most moving in Handel’s oeuvre, is not from an opera, but from a moral oratorio: an allegorical story of a human soul having to choose between beauty, pleasure and virtue. The aria “Guardian Angels, Oh, Protect Me” is heard at the end of the piece, once the soul has finally chosen the path of truth and virtue. The singer turns towards the guardian angels and asks them for protection from temptations and mistakes, and asks them to lead her towards the light.
Scene 7. HOLY. LIGHT. FAITH
Andrew Lloyd Webber: “Pie Jesu”, part of the Requiem mass
Performed by: Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
“Pie Jesu” is a well-known part of the Requiem, or the funeral mass. The text is from a part of “Dies irae” (a separate part in some traditions) and is known from various musical renditions, e.g. by Gabriel Fauré (1888) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (1985).
It is also often performed as a duet or a harmony of two voices, making it sound tender and comforting.
CODA – FINALE
Jean-Féry Rebel: Les Élémens, Part 10 “Premier Tambourin: L’Eau”
Performed by: dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Francesco Sartori: “Con te partirò” (“With You I Shall Depart”)
Performed by: Maria Listra, Heldur Harry Põlda, dancers and the ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
The song depicts someone telling their lover that together they can leave behind everything they know, discover the unknown, and travel any distance, even if a place doesn’t exist on a physical level or if they wouldn’t have the courage to go on the journey alone.
Only love can open up worlds that would otherwise lie empty or inaccessible.
THE END
About
Ingmar Jõela is a stage director, choreographer and actor. He studied choreography at the University of Tallinn in 2010–2014 and graduated with a degree in directing from the Department of Theatre of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (2018, Class XXVIII).
In 2019–2023, he was part of the group Ekspeditsioon at the Von Krahl Theatre. Since then, he has worked as a freelance stage director and choreographer with various creative collectives all over Estonia. His choreography has been performed in many festivals and theatres, e.g. Dance of Death (Nargenfestival), Rather Not and The Garden (Von Krahl Theatre), Lalli, or There Is a Man in the Middle of the Sea (Birgitta Festival), First Love (Estonian Drama Theatre), Novecento (Tallinn City Theatre), The Tin Drum and 1984 (Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences), etc. His projects as a stage director include Forget/Dream (2018, Tartu New Theatre), Giselle (2023, Von Krahl Theatre), and Circum Absurdum (2023), a contemporary circus-cabaret show.
Ingmar Jõela’s work is characterised by interdisciplinary intertwining: the fusion of theatre, dance, text, movement and poetic narrative. His language is energetic, physical, with a visually strong aesthetic, and deep in meaning, being based on mythology, folklore, corporeal performative expression and a multi-level awakening of the senses.
Physicality plays a central role in Jõela’s work: it is not merely illustration, but rather an autonomous dramaturgical force. He does not use the body as merely a means for movement or composition, but as the physical embodiment of thought. Corporeal presence often substitutes for text, and body language expresses messages that words cannot. Even spaces have meaning. For Jõela, rooms are not decoration but landscapes of the subconscious: empty, barren, flooded and temporary. Here, people are comfortable, yet strangers, as if stepping into a dreamlike catacomb, a factory, or even onto a train station platform on the edge of infinity.
Ingmar Jõela. Photo: Aleksander Eeri Laupmaa
Maria Listra is one of the most phenomenal Estonian artists, working as a solo vocalist and teacher. In her creative career, she has combined different forms of musical theatre and musical culture: from chamber music to musicals, from early music to contemporary opera. Listra began her musical education at the Nõmme Music School, studying piano and flute. She is a graduate of the Chigwell School in London (2008), which focuses on music, drama and art, and the Royal Holloway College of the University of London (2011), with a bachelor’s degree in drama and theatre. Listra has repeatedly sung in various collectives in the biggest concert halls and churches in Estonia. She has collaborated with ERSO, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the Finnish-Estonian Baroque Orchestra, the Prezioso String Quartet, the Corelli Baroque Orchestra, and the Voces Musicales Ensemble. Listra has performed in various opera and musical theatre projects, and has sung a variety of chamber music repertoire and oratorios. Various large-scale musical forms have resulted in collaborations with the conductors Tõnu Kaljuste, Risto Joost, Peter Spissky, Martin Sildos, Toomas Siitan, Kaspar Mänd, et al. Since 2013, Listra has been an active guest soloist at the Vanemuine Theatre.
Maria Listra. Photo: Ave Maria Mõistlik
Heldur Harry Põlda graduated from the Tallinn Music High School in 2015. He was a long-time soloist in the boys’ choir of the Estonian National Opera. He graduated with a degree in classical singing from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in England. During the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, Põlda received a scholarship to the Estonian National Opera. Since the fall of 2019, he has been a soloist with the National Opera. Since 2020, he has also been the conductor of the Academic Male Choir of the Tallinn University of Technology.
In 2008, Põlda received the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Music Endowment prize for the role of Miles in The Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten. In 2010, he received the collaboration prize from the Estonian Choral Association, and in 2013, he received the Georg Ots scholarship from the Estonian National Culture Foundation. In 2022, Põlda placed second at the 29th Lions Thomas Kuti European Music Competition in Zagreb, and in 2025, he received the Harju County theatre award and the SEB audience award.
Heldur Harry Põlda. Photo: Rasmus Kull
Utopia Entertainment
Utopia Entertainment is a visual and performance art production company which has transformed the Estonian entertainment scene with bold ideas and masterful execution. As their name suggests, they believe in utopian ideas and fresh forms that unite dance, circus, cabaret, music and theatre into a lively whole.
Founded in Tallinn in 2014, Utopia has developed into a trustworthy creator for both large-scale national celebrations and intimate stage projects. Their signature trait is the courage to entwine classical beauty and contemporary energy, offering experiences that simultaneously move the soul and stimulate the senses.
The creative heart of Utopia beats under the guidance of the producer and choreographer Ingmar Jõela and a stellar collective comprised of dancers, acrobats, musicians and artists. Their work has graced the biggest stages of Estonia, e.g. the National Independence Day concert “Every Bird Has Its Song”, productions at the opening galas of PÖFF, the 300th anniversary celebrations of Kadriorg, and numerous charity and gala events.
Utopia Conceptual is the collective’s artistic representation form, and focuses purely on contemporary dance and conceptual stage art. It is a space where producers and dancers can experiment, focus and create new meaning, all outside traditional formats. The productions of Utopia Conceptual are made for audiences that appreciate the avant-garde, experimentation and deep, refined and meaningful art.
Utopia Entertainment. Photo: Ahto Sooaru
The ME 107 Chamber Orchestra is an Estonian creative union brought to life by the Uus Kontsert agency. There was a huge need for a collective that would bring the masterpieces of orchestral music to Estonian audiences. In addition to concerts in larger cities, the orchestra also performs in small towns, from Räpina to Hiiumaa to Valga to Narva. The name ME 107 is an abbreviation of the beloved concert series Muusika Eestimaale 107 (Music for Estonia 107). Every year, the number grows by one, according to the age of the Republic of Estonia. The ME 107 Chamber Orchestra welcomes outstanding Estonian string players and musicians with extensive orchestral experience from neighbouring countries.
There have been extensive concert tours in Estonia with J. S. Bach’s works for piano and orchestra (soloist Irina Zahharenkova) and concerts dedicated to the 100th anniversary of A. Piazzolla, with remarkable soloists from Sweden (Jens Lundberg: bandoneon) and France (Rémy Poulakis: accordion and vocals). The orchestra has featured solos by the pianists Kalle Randalu and Andrejs Osokins, the violinists Dalia Dédinskaité, Paula Šumane, Arvo Leibur and Triin Ruubel-Lilleberg, the flautist Liina Fidelman, the organist Piret Aidulo, the sopranos Sonora Vaice and Elena Bražnik, the mezzo-soprano Iris Oja, the countertenor Ivo Posti, the basses Ain Anger and Priit Volmer, et al. There have also been successful collaborations with the conductors Andrus Kallastu, Valle-Rasmus Rootsi and Andris Veismanis (from the Latvian National Opera). Passionate audience responses and favourable reviews by critics have inspired new artistic pursuits: in the near future, the orchestra will broaden its activities to music events across the entire Baltic region.
ME 107 Chamber Orchestra
Andrus Kallastu is a freelance composer and conductor. He is also known as an active concert organiser, artistic director, producer of various projects, and the founder and leader of multiple festivals. Kallastu has collaborated with many outstanding musicians in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, France and other European countries. With his musical experience, sense of style and wide range of knowledge, Andrus Kallastu is remarkably multifaceted: he has performed works from Gregorianics to ultra-modern interdisciplinary compositions and is a valued interpreter of Baroque and classical music.
Andrus Kallastu. Photo: Indrek Aija
Event organiser: Kadriorg Park
Event management: Margit Nurmeots-Oras and Aleksandra Murre
