The opening concert of the Glasperlenspiel 2024 makes a festive and grand introduction to the festival, bringing the brightest representatives of different generations of Estonian musicians to the stage. Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, known by the nickname “Turkish”, will feature Hans Christian Aavik, the most outstanding young Estonian violinist of recent years, who has attracted extraordinary attention both at home and in Europe for his versatile style and distinctive sound and has been praised for combining a probing intellect and curiosity with an extroverted charisma. He is the first Estonian to study at one of the world’s most prestigious music schools for string instrumentalists, the Kronberg Academy. Maestro Neeme Järvi will conduct the festival’s flagship Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta, while violinist Hans Christian’s brother Henri Christofer Aavik, who has also won numerous awards, will appear as an assistant conductor. In addition to the aforementioned concerto by Mozart, the opening evening will contain masterpieces by his contemporaries Joseph Haydn and Luigi Boccherini.