Credits:

Hemsing, Eldbjorg / Arctic Philharmonic

Description:

Norwegian rising star violinist Eldbjorg Hemming, featured in Vogue magazine. Sonny Classical debut! A soundscape of serene and magnificent arctic beauty unfolds. Arctic ARCTIC" is a concept album by Norway's rising star violinist Eldbjorg Hemming and the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra. The album features enchanting melodies and impressive orchestral soundscapes that follow the seasonal nature of the Arctic Circle. It is also an audiovisual journey through the Arctic Circle, celebrating the fragility and widely unknown beauty of an ecosystem threatened by climate change with unparalleled scope. The album opens with "Arctic Suite," a six-part work composed by Hollywood composer Jacob Shay, best known for his soundscapes for the documentaries "Frozen Planet" and "Blue Planet," and performed in collaboration with Hans Zimmer. The piece begins with a glimpse of the "frozen world," followed by the sounds of "Aurora Borealis" at night and "Sunrise" at the dawn of the polar day.Rush of Life" follows a school of fish in the maelstrom (extremely strong currents that exist in the waters surrounding Norway), followed by the poetic whistling of "Polar Winds" and concludes with a melancholic orchestral requiem about "Sea Ice Melting". Composer Frode Fjellheim, best known for his music for Disney's "Anna and the Snow Queen," has captured the emotions of the indigenous Sami people who have lived in the vast European Arctic region for centuries in "Return of the Sun" and "Under the Arctic Moon. The compositions are inspired by the traditional Sámi song, "Yoik," and in "The Return of the Sun," Eldbjörg Hemming and the Arctic Philharmonic sing over the melody. The musical journey through the Arctic Circle includes many new orchestral arrangements of works by Nordic composers, such as "Snowflakes" by Selim Palmgren, "Whispers" by Einojuhani Rautavaara, and "The Breath of Spring" by Henning Somelo. The Japanese title "The Breath of Spring" is a typical Norwegian piece, and its literal translation means "looking for spring. The song is filled with hope for a new beginning in life, and the arranger, Ben Palmer, has turned the melody into an emotional hymn for violin and orchestra.Ben Palmer has also created new arrangements for two of the traditional classical pieces on the album ("The Passing Spring" by Edvard Grieg and "Melancholy" by Ole Bull). Both pieces represent memories of life in the Arctic, past and present, that will never be the same due to climate change. (1/2) Sony Music