Birth centenary of the singer Raimond Valgre

Raimond Valgre (7 October, 1913 - 31. 12. 1949, Tallinn) was born in the family of a shoemaker in Riisipere in North-Western in Estonia. He became one of the best known Estonian song writers whose songs are known throughout the country. As a child he took fancy in the violin but her mother decided that he should learn the piano instead. Later he played the accordion, guitar and drums in different bands and groups. During his lifetime he wrote nearly a hundred songs and most of them were about nature and love. During World War II, he was a member of the orchestra of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps of the Red Army, and as a result of his service on the Eastern Front he became an alcoholic after the war. His music was banned in 1948 by the Soviet authorities. The revival of Valgre's compositions began in the Soviet Union of the 1960s. A biographical feature film about Valgre Need vanad armastuskirjad ("Those Old Love Letters") was shot in 1992.