Jazzkaar 2024 opening concert: „Moral Paradox“ 
Bianca Rantala, Jukka Eskola, Valter Soosalu & orchestra

The 35th Jazzkaar Festival will be opened by Bianca Rantala’s new composition Moral Paradox, performed by soloists Bianca Rantala and Jukka Eskola with conductor Valter Soosalu, a string orchestra, vocal sextet and a nine-member instrumental ensemble. The piece can be characterised with the lines from Bianca Rantala’s song Valed värvid (Wrong Colours): “Wrong is a relative thing; wrong can also mean loyal. A white lie can save a life; and be more precious than anything else.”

“Dilemmas have never been as relevant as they are now, with wars continuing and explosive AI development taking place at the same time. Often, the result of moral choices only becomes evident years later. After all, the traumas of past wars still affect our lives, influencing our parents’ choices as well as our own decisions and fears. I hope that this musical experience will shift listeners’ perceptions of right and wrong,” reflects the composer.

Young composer, conductor and musician Bianca Rantala has gained recognition for her arrangements, compositions and leadership of musical collectives both in Estonia and Finland. At last year’s Estonian Jazz Awards she was chosen as the most popular jazz composer by the audience. Rantala has won several awards and recognitions: in 2020, she won the Big Band Composition Contest for Young Baltic Composers; in 2021 she was selected as a composer for the “European Composers” programme in Cologne, Germany; in 2023 she won the Nordic Composer Contest, and in 2021 she collaborated with a string orchestra to produce a 10-piece collection featuring soloists such as Jukkis Uotila, Holger Marjamaa, Jukka Eskola, Susanna Veldi and many others.

In addition to Estonian masters, several Finnish musicians participate in the line-up of the new composition, chosen by the author for their uniqueness and distinctive sound: “Jukka Eskola’s flugelhorn has a quality and beauty that cannot be found anywhere in the neighboring countries; Ville Vannemaa’s virtuosity on wind instruments, and Jaska Lukkarinen’s melodic and artistic style are superb. I invited Valter Soosalu because he is extremely musical and has a background in jazz, classical, choral and pop music – my new piece intertwines with all of these.”

Nearly all the musicians taking the stage are also composers, which allows them to contribute to Bianca Rantala’s music in diverse ways, creating the opportunity for an internationally acclaimed event.