In cooperation between the Estonian Music Council and the Estonian Association of Phonogram Producers, the nominees for the Estonian Music Awards 2026 in the Classical Album of the Year category have been announced. The Estonian Music Awards 2026 ceremony will take place on January 29 at Unibet Arena.
“In 2025, an exceptionally large number of high-quality albums of Estonian compositions and orchestral music were released, most of which have already received international attention. This confirms the high level of Estonian classical music culture in international competition,” said Ivari Ilja, President of the Estonian Music Council and a member of the jury. He added that all Classical Album nominees are already winners: “I recommend everyone to listen to these albums!”
The nominees for Classical Album of the Year 2026 are the best releases in four classical music genre categories:
Solo or Chamber Music Album of the Year
Eduard Tubin. Chamber Music
Performers: Triin Ruubel, Xandi van Dijk, Theodor Sink, Kärt Ruubel
Label: MDG
The album features world premiere recordings of Eduard Tubin’s piano pieces “Sarkasm” and “Sonett”, as well as chamber works: the Sonata for Viola and Piano, the Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano (in the composer’s viola version), “Pastorale” for Viola and Piano, “Ballad” for Violin and Piano, and a Piano Quartet. Eduard Tubin’s music is performed by Triin Ruubel (violin), Xandi van Dijk (viola), Theodor Sink (cello), and Kärt Ruubel (piano).
The album was released to mark the composer’s 120th anniversary.
Estonian Composition Album of the Year
Erkki-Sven Tüür. Aeris
Performers: German Hornsound, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Olari Elts
Label: ECM
“Aeris” is the ninth album in ECM’s new series and features the vivid and expressive music of Erkki-Sven Tüür. Olari Elts, a long-standing master interpreter of Tüür’s works, conducts the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. The album includes “Phantasma”, “De Profundis”, and Tüür’s Tenth Symphony “ÆRIS”—a drama of shifting energies and interactions written for horn quartet and orchestra. The symphony consists of four movements. Tüür explains: “Each movement expresses a different development between the soloists, the ensemble, and the orchestra. At times, their motifs spread into the orchestra like memes, beginning to transform and gradually take on a life of their own…”
The album has received very positive reviews in leading European music magazines and newspapers..
Choral Music Album of the Year
Rudolf Tobias. Jonah
Performers: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conductor Tõnu Kaljuste, soloists Mirjam Mesak, Kai Rüütel-Pajula, Mati Turi, Taavi Tampuu, Raiko Raalik
Label: Ondine
Rudolf Tobias’s oratorio “Jonah” is a landmark work in Estonian music culture. While the oratorio has previously been recorded in German, this album presents the work in Estonian, which is said to have been the composer’s own wish. Rudolf Tobias (1873–1918) was an Estonian composer, organist, and choirmaster who was the first Estonian to receive an academic higher education in composition. On this recording, Tobias’s major work is performed by a top-tier ensemble under the direction of conductor Tõnu Kaljuste.
Orchestral or Stage Music Album of the Year
Erkki-Sven Tüür. Aeris
Performers: German Hornsound, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Olari Elts
Label: ECM
Since 2014, the Estonian Music Council, in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Phonogram Producers, has recognized outstanding classical music albums by awarding the Classical Album of the Year title.
The Classical Album of the Year category includes the following genre categories: solo or chamber music, orchestral or stage music, choral music, and Estonian composition. The list of candidates is compiled based on proposals submitted by members of the Estonian Music Council. A jury formed by the Estonian Music Council and consisting of experts from various fields selects the best albums from among the submissions. The best album in each genre category receives a nomination, and from among these nominees, the Classical Album of the Year is chosen.
The Estonian Music Awards 2026 ceremony will take place on January 29 at Unibet Arena in Tallinn. Tickets for the grand gala are available via Piletilevi, and the event can also be followed live on Kanal 2.