- Summer tour of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Kristjan Järvi from 21–23 June takes in the Berlin Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Kissinger Sommer
- Hamburg concert sold out
- Programme inspired by the Nordic phenomenon of the midnight sun, with music by Sibelius, Kristjan Järvi and Stravinsky
- New works by musicians from the orchestra and Latvian composer Georgs Pelēcis
- Baltic Sea Philharmonic transforms concert into non-stop musical adventure, played entirely from memory
Berlin 11 May 2023. The Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Kristjan Järvi are constantly evolving. As a result of two ’Creativity Labs‘ that the orchestra has held for its musicians since 2022, the Baltic Sea Philharmonic is now integrating its own compositions into the programme of its 2023 ‘Midnight Sun’ tour. The inclusion of works by four orchestral musicians from Estonia, Lithuania and Poland is an important step on the orchestra’s journey to becoming a composing ensemble. Other new additions include the Concertino bianco by Latvian composer Georgs Pelēcis, excerpts from Sibelius‘ Symphony No. 2, and Pärt‘s Da Pacem.
Concert-goers will experience a stimulating musical journey with no breaks or intermission, as the performers play from memory without the use of music stands. The musicians’ kinetic energy on stage and their dynamic engagement with each other and their conductor further enhance the presentation.
The 2023 ‘Midnight Sun‘ tour will start on 21 une 21 at the Berlin Philharmonie and then continue to the sold-out Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (June 22) and the Kissinger Sommer (June 23).
Tickets for the Berlin concert, held in collaboration with the Young Euro Classic international music festival in Berlin, are available here. The ‘Midnight Sun’ tour is sponsored by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, state minister Claudia Roth.
On the way to a composing orchestra
For the first time, the Baltic Sea Philharmonic is integrating three compositions by its own musicians in a tour programme. With Hollow in the tree, violist Mintautas Kriščiūnas and harpist Zuzanna Wąsiewicz want to inspire other musicians and listeners to believe in their potential and encourage them, in the words of Kriščiūnas, ‘not to capitulate to their fears and instead enjoy every day of their precious lives.’ . The music was created in 2020 in the shadow of the Covid 19 lockdowns and was released as a music clip on the ensemble’s YouTube channel as part of the Baltic Sea Philharmonic’s innovative series of music videos, ‘Musical Chain’ (link).
Sireen, by Estonian cellist Maria Mutso, is about the mythological figure of the mermaid. The work was created during two ‘Creativity Labs’ that the Baltic Sea Philharmonic held in November 2022 on the German-Polish island of Usedom and in March 2023 in Pärnu, Estonia. Working with Kristjan Järvi and experienced sound engineers, the orchestra encouraged its musicians to unleash their creative potential and develop new skills. ‘We learned an incredible amount, and experimented with new techniques,’ says Mutso. ‘It was cool to see what kind of input different people can have and how our characters come out that way, creating melodies and supporting each other. On top of that, there were workshops – so a lot of cool and new experiences!’.
The Dream of Tabu-tabu by Liis Jürgens, one of the orchestra’s harpists, has already been passionately celebrated by audiences in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Berlin Philharmonie. As a powerful, cinematic statement for freedom of expression and against totalitarianism and violence, it calls to mind the Soviet era in Estonia, when one’s own opinion could not always be expressed publicly and many topics were taboo.
Pärt’s‚ Da Pacem, compositions by Kristjan Järvi, excerpts from Stravinsky’s The Firebird and the second movement of the Concertino bianco for piano and orchestra by Latvian composer Georgs Pelēcis round off the immersive sound spectacle of ‘Midnight Sun‘. Inspired by the phenomenon of the never-setting midnight sun, this unique concert experience brings the magical atmosphere of a Nordic midsummer to Berlin, Hamburg and Bad Kissingen.
Baltic Sea Philharmonic – a revolution in music and culture
The Baltic Sea Philharmonic takes the orchestral concert experience to a new dimension. Every performance is a voyage of musical discovery, as the musicians perform the entire programme from memory, creating a one-of-a-kind artistic journey. Each concert is a unique spectacle of sound, light, visual art, technology, choreography and playing by heart, and under the electrifying baton of Music Director and Founding Conductor Kristjan Järvi every performance has a special energy that’s absolutely infectious. But even more than this, as a community of musicians from ten Nordic countries, the Baltic Sea Philharmonic transcends boundaries and has become a movement for bringing people together. Embodying all that is innovative and progressive about the Nordic region, this visionary ensemble is taking the traditional orchestral model further than ever before. ‘It is a living breathing creature, with boundless energy and enthusiasm for the new – an adventure in itself,’ says Kristjan Järvi.
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