Juhan Ensemble

The biography of Juhan Liiv (1864-1913) offers a textbook case of a creator who struggled to find a place for himself in his lifetime and whose talent was recognised only after his death. After an abandoned education, problems with publishing his literary attempts and an unsettled and impoverished existence brought on by his hypersensitivity, his posthumous and increasing fame has seen streets, schools and prizes named after him, and the Juhan Liiv Museum. Juhan Liiv’s works, too, continue to shine a hundred years after the author’s death. One proof of that brilliance is the Juhan Ensemble, which makes music based on his work. The band is made up of famous musicians Riho Sibul (vocals, guitar), Jaak Sooäär (guitar), Henno Kelp (bass guitar) and Andrus Lillepea (drums). In 2013, the group released Juhan, inspired by the social texts of Liiv.