SOLDIER'S TALE SUITE

Kristjan Järvi – musical director, conductor, producer
Mat Fieldes – bass
Vesselin Gellev – violin
Martin Kuuskmann – bassoon
Charles Porter – trumpet
David Rozenblatt – drums/Percussion
Mike Seltzer – trombone
Michiyo Suzuki – clarinet

recorded live at Club Café
Pittsburgh, PA / USA
Febr. 20, 2001

Die Geschichte erzählt von einem Soldaten, der für Zauberei und Reichtum dem Teufel seine Geige überläßt. Später gewinnt er sie zurück, heilt mit seiner Musik die kranke Prinzessin und zwingt den Teufel, sich "zu Tode zu tanzen". Dieser holt den Soldaten aber dennoch am Ende seines Lebens in die Hölle.
Die Musik vertont den Text nicht, sondern verdeutlicht Situationen wie die Wanderschaft oder die Begegnung mit dem Teufel. Es dominieren rhythmisch-tänzerische Elemente (Marsch, Tango, Walzer, Ragtime) sowie volkstümliche.

ABSOLUTE ENSEMBLE

Since its inception in 1993, fans have slowly witnessed something of a metamorphosis of Kristjan Järvi’s Absolute Ensemble. Beginning in New York as another new music group, Järvi seemed unable to quench his appetite for music of all genres. The group Järvi lovingly describes as “musical omnivores” lends itself to the kind of performance usually foreign to the classical breed. Members are frequently called upon to improvise as well as arrange and compose. Choosing to integrate rather than segregate music, the group fuses its classical roots with everything from jazz and rock to world music and hip-hop. By defying categorization and creating a totally new sound, Absolute is a refreshing guide to the future of music. The American Record Guide claims Absolute "may be the most alluring and virtuosic…of today's new music groups." Absolute has released eight Albums and in turn received a list of accolades, including the German Record Critics Prize and a Grammy nomination.
Absolute Ensemble has toured the globe with concerts in Vienna, Zürich, London, Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Weimar, Stockholm, Umeå, Bolzano, Milan, Torino, Catania, Tallinn, Pärnu, Monterey, Bergen, New York, West Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, New Orleans, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Oulu.