Marius Neset & London Sinfonietta - Geyser (CD)

Release Date: 11/03/23

Gripping orchestral score with jazz core. Live at BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall

Geyser: A Story in Sound

When I started working on Geyser in the fall of 2021, I made a conscious decision to move away from composing music that reflected the pain of the pandemic. Instead, I aimed to create a celebration, capturing the essence of music's triumphant return and the unique atmosphere when musicians come together to perform. The piece was intended to evoke predominantly joyful and optimistic emotions, with the title serving as a metaphor for the music's rhythmic energy, intermittently unleashed in ecstatic bursts, much like water and steam erupting from a pressurized geothermal spring. However, in February 2022, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, leaving me in a state of shock akin to the early days of the pandemic. I had already written a significant portion of the composition, but I found myself unable to complete it. As someone who channels deep emotion into his work, such events invariably impact the music I create. Consequently, I revisited and deconstructed many of the previously written elements, loosening their structure and tonality. This was a symbolic representation of how quickly beauty, pleasantness, and safety can be lost. The darkness and despair triggered by the Russian invasion added a new layer of meaning to the title and its original associations. It also influenced the overall structure of Geyser, which undergoes a transformative journey from darkness to light across its eight movements. Despite the dramatic changes that occurred during the compositional process, the fundamental motivation behind all my music remains constant, whether I am composing a symphony, a saxophone concerto, or engaging in improvisation: I strive to tell a story--it is the essence of my artistry. My hope is that this story resonates with the listeners.

Marius Neset

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