Eldbjorg Hemsing & Arctic Philharmonic – Arctic

The Sony Classical debut album "Arctic" by the internationally acclaimed Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing is a musical journey through the Arctic with new music by star composers Jacob Shea ("The Blue Planet") of Bleeding fingers Music and Frode Fjellheim ("Frozen"), among others Sony Classical's collaboration with the young concert violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing kicks off with an album that is extraordinary in both music and content: "Arctic" is a musical journey through a unique region, celebrating the fragile and largely undiscovered beauty of an ecosystem threatened by climate change on an unprecedented scale "The Arctic is often misjudged as a rugged, uninhabitable place, yet it is a region of unparalleled beauty and full of life, fascinatingly illustrating how everything is interconnected in fragile cycles. 'Arctic' is a musical journey through this unique, endangered natural space," explains Eldbjørg Hemsing. "With this project, I want to show people how great and worthy of protection this landscape is and point out the threat of climate change that has an impact on all of us." "Arctic" is full of stirring melodies and impressive orchestral soundscapes that build as you listen to the album, like the stunning habitats of the Arctic through the seasons. To create the music for her album, the Valdres, Norway native collaborated with a variety of composers to create a unique album that combines American film music with European classical music. Thus, "Arctic" features new music by film composers Jacob Shea of Bleeding fingers Music and Frode Fjellheim as well as new arrangements of melodies by composers Selim Palmgren, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Henning Sommerro, Ola Gjeilo, Ole Bull, Edvard Grieg and James Newton Howard The album was recorded in Bodø inside the Norwegian Arctic Circle with the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra "I wanted to combine unique, memorable melodies with a picturesque orchestral sound that matches the grand panorama of the Arctic to tell this emotional story. The result is a very varied kind of film music for the concert hall or a soundtrack for an inner journey," says Eldbjørg Hemsing about the music of "Arctic." The album's central work is the 20-minute "Arctic Suite" by American film composer Jacob Shea of Bleeding fingers Music, who co-wrote with Hans Zimmer the iconic score to "The Blue Planet," which has been played millions of times. In the six parts of the "Arctic Suite," Jacob Shea sets to music the unique Arctic natural phenomena, finding melodies for "Frozen Worlds" in winter, the "Aurora" in the polar night, or the "Sunrise" in the dawn of the polar day. He gives a sound to the shoals of fish in the Malmström in "Rush of Life" or the poetic whistling of the "Polar Winds" and ends with a melancholic look at current changes in "Sea Ice Melting" Composer Frode Fjellheim is known from his work on "Frozen." He comes from the Sámi, a people who have inhabited the European Arctic Circle for centuries. For his compositions "Under the Arctic Moon" and "The Return of the Sun" he is inspired by the traditional songs of the Sámi, the "Joik". In "The Return of the Sun" he even sings one of these traditional melodies The musical journey through the "Arctic" includes other new and colorful orchestral arrangements of works by Nordic composers such as the sound-painting "Snowflakes" by Selim Palmgren, "Whispering" by Einojuhani Rautavaara, "Dawn" by Ola Gjeilo and "Vårsøg" by Henning Sommerro. "Vårsøg" is a well-known melody in Norway, and it stands, mutatis mutandis, for "the search for a new spring." Originally written as a folk-pop song, it thus embodies the hope for a new beginning in life. Arranger Ben Palmer has embedded the melody in an emotional anthem for violin and orchestra. "A Hidden Life" by James Newton Howard has a metaphorical meaning for Eldbjørg Hemsing "There is so much hidden life in the Arctic, for example under the ice in the sea. Large parts of it have not been explored at all, and we can only guess at its importance for the global ecosystem." "Arctic" features two traditional Norwegian classical works, "Last Spring" by Edvard Grieg and "La Melancolie" by Ole Bull. They stand for the memory of a beautiful life that still exists today in the Arctic, which will irretrievably disappear in its current form due to climate change.