Arctic Eldbjørg Hemsing & Arctic Philharmonic

• Jacob Shea: The Arctic Suite:
• 1 The Arctic Suite: I. Frozen World 06:06
• 2 The Arctic Suite: II. Aurora 03:10
• 3 The Arctic Suite: III. Sunrise 01:34
• 4 The Arctic Suite: IV. A Rush of Life 02:06
• 5 The Arctic Suite: V. Polar Winds 03:00
• 6 The Arctic Suite: VI. Sea Ice Melting 03:45
• Henning Sommerro (b. 1952): Vårsøg (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Ben Palmer):
• 7 Vårsøg (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Ben Palmer) 03:43
• Frode Fjellheim (b. 1959): The Return of the Sun:
• 8 The Return of the Sun 02:31
• Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978): Dawn:
• 9 Dawn 03:14
• Frode Fjellheim: Under the Arctic Moon:
• 10 Under the Arctic Moon 02:55
• Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928 - 2016): Whispering:
• 11 Whispering 02:57
• Selim Palmgren (1878 - 1951): Snowflakes (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra from Morceaux, Op. 57 by Ben Palmer):
• 12 Snowflakes (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra from Morceaux, Op. 57 by Ben Palmer) 02:52
• Ole Bull (1810 - 1880): La Melancolie (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra from Moments of Solitude by Ben Palmer):
• 13 La Melancolie (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra from Moments of Solitude by Ben Palmer) 01:55
• James Newton Howard (b. 1951): A Hidden Life:
• 14 A Hidden Life 02:48
• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907): Last Spring (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra from Op. 33 No. 2 by Ben Palmer):
• 15 Last Spring (Arr. for Violin and Orchestra from Op. 33 No. 2 by Ben Palmer) 04:41
• Total Runtime 47:17

Info for 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.

Eldbjörg Hemsing, violin
Arctic Philharmonic
Christian Kluxen, conductor

Eldbjørg Hemsing
One of the most charismatic and leading young violinists on the international scene today, Eldbjørg Hemsing is acclaimed for her ​“radiant and sophisticated performances” (BBC Music Magazine) and is a musician committed to bringing her art form to new and emerging audiences across the globe. Her international career took off quickly, leading to three award-winning albums and world premières of numerous compositions in many of the greatest halls of the world.

The 2022/23 season sees her debuts with Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Santtu Matias-Rouvali, Belgian National Orchestra and a performance at the Philharmonie de Paris with Orchestre National d’Île de France and Anu Tali during their extended tour of France. A devoted chamber musician, she has recently begun a long-term chamber music partnership with cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and pianist Martin Stadtfeld, and the Hemsing-Müller-Schott-Stadtfeld Trio already has a highly successful tour behind them, with a new tour planned for January 2023.

Recent highlights include performances of Anders Hillborg’s Violin Concerto No.2 with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and her debut at Concertgebouw Amsterdam (playing Mendelssohn’s e‑minor concerto as part of the Robeco Summer Nights concerts). Eldbjørg Hemsing regularly collaborates with orchestras such as Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras, and is a welcome guest at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, Verbier Festival and the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

She has also performed at numerous major global events and venues such as the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, the United Nations, the Shanghai Expo, and the UN Security Council. She has developed a close collaboration with the composer Tan Dun with whom she has premiered, toured, and recorded several award-winning works, and is a passionate speaker on the power of classical music beyond its traditional borders.

In July 2021, Hemsing signed an exclusive recording agreement with Sony Classical and her first album entitled ​“Arctic”– to be released in February 2023 – will be devoted to the rich natural soundscapes of the Arctic. Her current discography of critically acclaimed recordings includes an album of Grieg’s violin sonatas on BIS, which won the Spellemann Prize in Norway as Recording of the Year 2020. Her second album, Fire Ritual, centers around Tan Dun’s violin concerto (composed for and premiered by Eldbjørg Hemsing) and her debut album in 2018 featured Hjalmar Borgström​’s Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No.1, recorded with the Wiener Symphoniker and Olari Elts.

A musical entrepreneur, Ms. Hemsing is actively involved in a multitude of projects, all rooted in her passionate interest to bring classical music to a more mainstream audience. As Senior Artistic Advisor of the prestigious global research firm, Advisory Board for the Arts, she spearheads ventures to bring transformative thinking to arts organizations and artists. She co-founded the Hemsing Festival and is the Artistic Director of the SPIRE, an innovative annual competition to promote and nurture young artists in their artistic and personal self-development in the classical music world.

Born in Valdres, Norway, Eldbjørg Hemsing studied at the prestigious Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo and with Professor Boris Kuschnir in Vienna. She plays a 1707 Antonio Stradivari ​‘Rivaz, Baron Gutmann’ violin, kindly on loan from the Dextra Musica Foundation.

Eldbjørg Hemsing plays a 1754 G. B. Guadagnini violin on kind loan from the Dextra Musica Foundation.

Booklet for Arctic