Kristjan Randalu, is a celebrated Estonian composer and pianist, who brings a high degree of sophistication to both areas of expertise. Randalu was last in Canada at the “JK Jazz 2009” music and art festival in Udora, ON. He is well known internationally in the world of jazz and serious music circles and is making his Montreal debut with the MCO on April 11, 2011. The concert starts at 7:30 PM and is at the Pollack Hall in Montreal.
Randalu developed the idea for Nach dem Anfang vom Ende while living in London, in 2001. During that period three movements of the work were completed: Der Weg weg, Eine Ahnung in der Vergangenheit and Regenbogen. Later he added Spielchen und Rechenschaft. The work in its entirety was premiered by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Dennis Russell Davies in 2003.
To avoid a simplified unification of jazz and classical music, Randalu decided to exclude percussion from the score. The result is a classical orchestral arrangement in the frames of which the soloist plays according to the rules of jazz. There is no integral piano part in the score, only some points of suggestion and thematic ideas. The work revolves around improvisation within the frames of the orchestral score. Consequently, the length of the performance varies, depending greatly on the soloist and his communication with the orchestra.
The second half of the concert takes the listener on a humorous journey through witty improvisations of children's songs from the once-popular Estonian TV program Entel-Tentel.
