The Estonian composer Jaan Rääts cultivated a strongly rhythmic neoclassic style that influenced figures in the Estonian minimalist and contemporary styles that have gained international success. He is also a noted educator and has directly taught many Estonian composers. Rääts (the pronunciation is close to "rats") was born in the university city of Tartu on October 15, 1932. He studied at the Tartu Music High School and the Tallinn Conservatory, graduating from the latter with a composition degree in 1957. From 1955 to 1974, he made a living as an engineer with Estonia's national radio and television networks. Joining the Estonian Composer's Union in 1957, he made his way to its presidency in 1974, remaining in the post until 1993. Rääts flourished under Soviet control in Estonia, winning several national cultural prizes and serving in high Communist Party posts His works -- ten symphonies, ten piano sonatas, numerous concertos for various instruments, and a large variety of chamber pieces -- are mostly instrumental, and they largely fall into classical forms. Among his few choral works was an oratorio about Karl Marx (1964). Yet this surface, which likely endeared Rääts to Soviet cultural critics, was deceptive. Already evident in his Symphony No. 1 (1957), his emphasis on rhythm developed as his career proceeded and helped to shape the style of Arvo Pärt and the other Baltic minimalists. He also taught at the Estonian National Academy of Music, serving as teacher to Raimo Kangro, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Rauno Remme, Tõnu Kõrvits, Tõnis Kaumann, and Timo Steiner (although not Pärt). Becoming a full professor in 1990, he survived the breakup of the Soviet Union and Estonian independence. Indeed, much of his large collection of prizes has come from the Estonian national period, including the Estonian State Cultural award (1995) and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Republic of Estonia (2011). Although largely retired, Rääts has remained active as a composer into the 2010s; his Prelüüd for piano, Op. 128 appeared in 2014. Often recorded in Estonia, his music began to gain wider international attention during this period. ~ James Manheim, Rovi