So three of the concerts are done and the last two of them were in Southern Estonia: Võru and Tartu. The latter is the second biggest town that we have. I have organized guitar concerts for many years as the chairman of the Estonian Guitar Sociey and have always been searching suitable halls for classical guitar. In Tartu the situation is quite good as they have some nice museums and the main hall of the University of Tartu.

This time my choice was the City Museum. The museum is not very old but the house itself has some historical significance. It was built by Lt  Woldemar Conrad von Pistohlkorsi in 1790 and is somehow connected to the Catherine the Great of Russia. Probably she stayed there while visiting Tartu.

The hall has a wonderful sound for the classical guitar and the only problem is that the windows are facing the street but when you choose a quiet time for the concert then it is OK.

This small tour is the first occasion when I play all the pieces from my new guitar record live and in a row. Of course, I practiced at home:) I play exactly as it is on the CD exept that I don’t have percussionists (I will have on the final concert in Tallinn) and also I explain a lot about the choice of the dances and the history of them, too.

I like communicating during my recitals – I want to break this awful type of concerts when everybody must be silent and listen hands on knees. I always try to keep the audience interested and try to make them more familiar to my person, too. Then we have a free communication and the music also does its job better.

In a live concert situation there is a big problem that many players have and me too: it is the first piece of the concert. How to go directly into the mood? Later everything will be fine but how to break the ice fast? My album begins with the branle and saltarello that are not technically difficult but nevertheless I tend to make small mistakes in the beginning.