The Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Kristjan Järvi will open the 27th edition of the Usedom Music Festival on Saturday 19 September. Replacing at short notice the planned opening concert by Norwegian jazz saxophonist Jan Garbarek, a Baltic Sea Philharmonic ensemble of 13 musicians will give two performances (at 3pm and 8pm) at the UBB Lokhalle in Heringsdorf. The concerts will have smaller audiences, social distancing and other safety measures in place to comply with COVID-19 regulations.
The theme of this year’s Usedom Music Festival is Norway, but some Norwegian artists are unable to travel to the festival because of pandemic restrictions. The Baltic Sea Philharmonic will reflect the Norway theme in its ‘Nordic Escapes’ programme with music by Grieg and Jan Garbarek. The ensemble’s evening concert on 19 September is already sold out, but some tickets are still available for the afternoon concert.
Nordic heritage and innovation
For its Usedom concerts, the Baltic Sea Philharmonic ensemble will perform an eclectic programme in the orchestra’s unique, boundary-pushing style, and with its own take on jazz. Composers past and present from around the Baltic Sea region will be represented, from Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to Gediminas Gelgotas and Kristjan Järvi. Audiences will experience the complete programme as an unbroken flow of music, with pieces intertwined.
With the Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s characteristic flair for innovation, the performance will include electronics-infused remixes in the shape of Kristjan Järvi’s Nebula, remixed by German producer and composer Robot Koch, and Midnight Mood, a reimagining of Grieg’s ‘Morning Mood’ from his Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, mixed and produced by Kristjan Järvi. The latter piece will be accompanied by an original video production by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic from its ‘Musical Chain’ series. In a special addition to the programme, New York-based musician and composer Gene Pritsker has arranged Jan Garbarek’s Brother Wind March for the Baltic Sea Philharmonic ensemble, with clarinet and flute taking the original piece’s saxophone solos.
Innovation continues online with ‘Musical Chain’ videos
During an unprecedented break from live performance in the past months, the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Kristjan Järvi have been producing innovative online music experiences. ‘Beethoven’s Twilight’, the next release in the orchestra’s ‘Musical Chain’ series of cutting-edge remix videos, will be available on the Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s social media channels from 24 September.
