Kristjan Randalu „Marginalia and Dividends“ Eesti–Norra

On the opening night of the spring Jazzkaar, renowned pianist Kristjan Randalu, one of the brightest stars of our time, will unveil fresh interpretations of composer Jaan Rääts’s miniatures. “I knew Jaan since childhood. Later, when I was working on my first orchestral compositions, he guided me as a mentor,” Randalu reminisces, revealing that the idea of reimagining Rääts’s Marginalia has been evolving for decades. For this extraordinary evening, Randalu has specifically assembled a quintet to breathe life into this new work on stage.

Jaan Rääts’s Marginalia was first published in 1981. The composer is recognised as a leading representative of the neoclassical style, introducing an explicitly anti-romantic expression in Estonian music – active, playful, and free from emotional excess. Rääts himself remarked that he found this characterisation surprising, as he considers himself a lyricist at heart. Randalu’s first arrangements of Marginalia were created during his teenage years in Germany. Now, with his extensive experience, Randalu’s Marginalia and Dividends is ready for the stage.

At the opening concert, Randalu will be joined on stage by Norwegian guitarist and electronic musician Eivind Aarset, with whom he has performed for five years in Dhafer Youssef’s ensemble, Taavi Kerikmäe on synthesisers, Mihkel Mälgand on double bass, and Hans Kurvits on drums.

Will Kristjan Randalu’s interpretation highlight the motoric, the lyrical, or perhaps uncover an entirely new dimension of Rääts’s work? The answer awaits on 20 April at Von Krahl Theatre.