The Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Kristjan Järvi today release the third video in their innovative digital project ‘Musical Chain’. The new video, ‘Ascending Swans’, follows the release of ‘Midnight Mood’, based on Grieg’s ‘Morning Mood’ from Peer Gynt, and ‘Beethoven’s Twilight’, inspired by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. ‘Ascending Swans’ was written and produced by Kristjan Järvi, and is based on the ‘Song of Praise’ from Sibelius’s Swanwhite Suite, one of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s favourite encore pieces. The fourth and final ‘Musical Chain’ video of 2020 will be based on Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. A seasonal gift from Kristjan Järvi and the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, the video is set for release on 11 December.
The Baltic Sea Philharmonic recorded the music for ‘Ascending Swans’ in Merano, Italy, in September 2020, during its ‘Nordic Pulse’ tour of Italy and Germany. Kristjan Järvi remixed the audio and a professional production team edited the video, which features 13 Baltic Sea Philharmonic musicians who recorded themselves outdoors. These videos are interlaced with stunning images that celebrate the nature and landscape of the North. Calming and uplifting, elemental and spiritual, ‘Ascending Swans’ reflects the grace, purity and strength of the eponymous birds, many thousands of which migrate south from the Arctic in October and November. ‘Ascending Swans’ is available to watch from today on the orchestra’s social media channels.
‘Musical Chain’ – connections and creativity in challenging times
A symbol of unity and solidarity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and inspired by the human chains formed by people across the three Baltic States in August 1989, ‘Musical Chain’ brings together musicians from across Europe in a new kind of virtual orchestra collaboration. Launched in July 2020, ‘Musical Chain’ reflects the orchestra’s boundary-breaking spirit and its dedication to communicating through digital media the energy, style and freedom of its live performances. Kristjan Järvi says: ‘The pandemic put us into a situation where we’ve had to come out of our normal groove and comfort zone, our usual structures, methods and routines. Physically we can’t produce the same energy in the same room, but we’re creating a new way to convey our energy and spirit to people around the world who are inspired by what we do and the way we make music.’
Find out more about ‘Musical Chain’ in our storyboard.
Watch ‘Ascending Swans’ now on YouTube
