In cooperation between the Estonian Music Council and the Estonian Association of Phonogram Producers, the Classical Album of the Year 2026 was announced today. The title was awarded to Erkki-Sven Tüür: Aeris, performed by German Hornsound and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Olari Elts. Released by 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.
Erkki-Sven 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 highly positive reviews in leading European music magazines as well as newspapers.
“This album, like my previous author albums, reflects my work from a certain span of time, shaped into an artistic whole within a specific format—this time, as is often the case, focusing on symphonic music. ECM is known to have a global following, so it is gratifying to know that these works will reach many listeners who have not had the opportunity to hear them in concert halls. Naturally, they will also reach many beyond that circle; in that sense, this album represents for me an opportunity to bring these particular works to a broader audience,” said composer Erkki-Sven Tüür.
Speaking about the Tenth Symphony featured on the album, he noted that it differs greatly from the Ninth Symphony in both material and form. “Most clearly—especially in terms of sonority—it is distinguished by the central role of the horn quartet, which in this case is the outstanding German Hornsound, throughout the entire symphony.”
The composer praised both the result and the collaboration with the performers: “The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra is in excellent form, and Olari Elts’s contribution is invaluable. It was a memorably inspiring collaboration among all the musicians of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Olari, German Hornsound, and Tammo Sumera (sound engineering and editing). By the time of the recording, Olari had already conducted all of my works multiple times around the world (De Profundis, dedicated to him, as well as Phantasma, actually came about at his initiative), so all the nuances had settled beautifully into place. Leading international music magazines have consistently drawn attention in their reviews of this album to the outstanding interpretation,” Tüür said.
The Classical Album of the Year 2026 was selected from the best albums across 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
Estonian Composition Album of the Year
Erkki-Sven Tüür. Aeris
Performers: German Hornsound, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Olari Elts
Label: ECM
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
Orchestral or Stage Music Album of the Year
Erkki-Sven Tüür. Aeris
Performers: German Hornsound, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Olari Elts
Label: ECM
The Classical Album of the Year category comprises the following genre categories: solo or chamber music, orchestral or stage music, choral music, and Estonian composition. The list of candidates was compiled based on proposals submitted by members of the Estonian Music Council. A jury consisting of experts from various fields selected the best albums from among the submissions. The best album in each genre category received a nomination, and from among these nominees, the Classical Album of the Year was determined by a vote.