Acclaimed jazz pianist Kristjan Randalu weaves a fairy-tale sequence with Sweden-based chamber orchestra O/Modernt and Sacha Rattle, alongside scintillating works by Estonia’s leading living composers, Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kõrvits and Erkki-Sven Tüür.

O/Modernt takes a fresh musical look at fairy tales in collaboration with star Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu. At the heart of the concert is Randalu’s series of instrumental interpretations of the themes of  well-known tales, embellished with the composer’s spectacular piano cadenzas.

Amplifying and varying the moods are the UK premiere of Song of the Lakes by Tõnu Kõrvits with clarinetist Sacha Rattle, Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Action–Passion–Illusion, and Arvo Pärt’s beguiling invocations of pure transcendence in Fratres, Wiegenlied, and Darf ich. ‘It’s like the final sentence of a fairy tale,’ Pärt remarked of Darf ich: ‘And they all lived happily ever after.’ But as the poignant and exhilarating works on show in tonight’s concert reveal, the fairy tale ending is a magical artistic illusion.

Kristjan Randalu belongs to the most sought-after piano players of his generation, carrying the torch in both the improvised world of jazz and the traditional realm of classical music – Herbie Hancock, the piano master himself, considering him ‘a dazzling piano player’.

Between creating his own original blend of contemporary jazz as a leader and collaborating with several generations of respected musicians, from the likes of fellow ECM recording artist Trygve Seim to saxophonist David Liebman, Randalu has brought his music to some of the world’s most renowned jazz festivals and concert halls. At the same time, he is viewed as an esteemed interpreter of a broad spectrum of contemporary and classical music, performing alongside internationally acclaimed ensembles of the stature of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra on the one hand and esteemed conductors like Kristjan Järvi and Dennis Russell Davies on the other. His over 40 album-strong discography has won him several awards, including ‘Jazz Artist of the Year’ and ‘Jazz Composer of the year’ in Estonia.