John Pitman Review: Eldbjørg Hemsing’s ‘Arctic’
Arctic is a new release by Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing that asks questions, through music, about the effects of climate change on the Arctic region, and on the life that exists there. Ms. Hemsing, who grew up near the Arctic Circle, says “the Arctic is often misrepresented as stark and uninhabitable wasteland.” Yet Hemsing explains that “it’s a region of matchless beauty abounding in life, one that magically illustrates how all things cohere in fragile cycles.”
With new pieces by composers including Jacob Shea, Frode Fjellheim, and James Newton Howard, as well as Norwegian heroes of the past such as Ole Bull and Edvard Grieg, Arctic is a compelling compendium of musical ideas about a region that plays a vital role in the health of the entire planet.
Enjoy All Classical Portland’s Program Director John Pitman‘s conversation with Eldbjørg Hemsing below.
Eldbjørg Hemsing‘s Arctic is available now on Presto Classical or through Hemsing’s website: eldbjorgmusic.com.
