Kristjan Järvi’s new album Nordic Escapes is out on 7 August 2020 and features the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Swiss violinist David Nebel on the track Aurora. The new recording is being released on Modern Recordings, the BMG label devoted to neo-classical, jazz and electronic music. Nordic Escapes is Järvi’s first complete album of self-composed music, uniting his talents as composer, conductor and producer.
Journey into the north
Inspired by the sounds, people and landscapes of the north, Järvi takes the listener on a captivating musical journey, merging electronic textures and orchestral soundscapes. It’s a journey that, on a personal level, illuminates the Estonian-born Järvi’s reconnection with his Nordic homeland after many years of living in the US, and on an elemental level explores and celebrates the power and beauty of nature. ‘One of the problems we have today is that people feel disconnected from nature and from each other,’ he says. ‘I think we need to feel ourselves again as part of nature and as part of the big picture. Nordic Escapes connects the listener to music and nature.’
Aurora evokes both the Northern Lights (the aurora borealis) and the short, colourful Nordic summers. Diatonic sequences, dancing rhythms and flowing, repeating patterns combine in an uplifting work that’s full of light, warmth and vitality. The track was recorded in St. Petersburg in March 2019 during the Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s ‘Nordic Pulse’ tour of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Russia. Aurora is now a signature piece of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, and the orchestra has performed it on numerous recent tours. Aurora will form part of the upcoming ‘Nordic Pulse’ tour of Italy and Germany in September.
David Nebel is also the soloist on another track from the new album, Nebula, in which Järvi conducts the London Symphony Orchestra. Five of the album’s tracks feature Kristjan Järvi’s Nordic Pulse Ensemble, which includes musicians from the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, including, for example, violinist Mari-Liis Urb and bassoonist Jakob Peäske, both from Estonia. The album closes with a remix of Nebula by Los Angeles-based German producer/composer Robot Koch.
Orchestra and conductor reunited
Järvi’s atmospheric melding of electronics and orchestral music can also be experienced in the Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s new music video ‘Midnight Mood’, a reimagining of Grieg’s ‘Morning Mood’ from Peer Gynt. The first in the orchestra’s series of remix videos for its new online project ‘Musical Chain’, ‘Midnight Mood’ is available to watch now on the Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Music videos for the Nordic Escapes album are available on Kristjan Järvi’s YouTube channel from 7 August 2020
