Julia Thomsen encaptures the serene air flowing as we lead up to Christmas with the release of her new composition, ‘Angels of Peace’.
The latest release from the British composer is better than any of our wildest dreams could have imagined it being. In addition, Julia surrounds us with her lovely arrangements, which bring the spirit of the holiday season to the forefront and provide an opportunity to cleanse and reflect now the year is concluding.
Because it is so potently moving, this piece has a glimmering quality, as if it were meant to be the soundtrack of a blockbuster movie in Hollywood.
Hello, An, Let’s talk about your new album, ‘ConTempoRary Violin’, where did you find the inspiration?
You know, inspiration is a very “dangerous” phenomenon. An artist may have an inspiration, but it is never endless. I have been used to working hard since childhood. And the violin is the instrument that itself gives inspiration to those who love music. In his youth, a violinist must practice every day for many hours, regardless of the weather, mood and surrounding events.
I made many concert programs of music for solo violin, I experimented a lot in this field. I have more than 200 works for violin solo in my repertoire, including pieces written by different composers especially for me and my own music. But I wanted to make this album special and not like what prevails in the music industry in this genre. It took me a long time to choose the right music for this album.
A few months before the recording of this album, I released several songs in different genres as a singer-songwriter. I also worked on several new concert programs for the Philharmonic as a solo violinist. Finally, I chose one of the most difficult works by Johann Sebastian Bach for solo violin – Partita No 2, consisting of 8 movements. This, perhaps, could be called “the first side of the reel.” For the “second side of the reel” I chose works that were written in the 21st century: the mystical “Starless Nocturne” by Jay Reise, the delightful oriental “Heyran” by Jan Tamzejian, a real musical “mini-series” about Space “The Birth of the Universe” by Colette Mourey and the mysterious Sonata No 2 by András Derezckei, movements of which are called “Amorf” and “Nervus”. I also remembered that I wrote one piece in 2019 in one night. I made a new version of this Fantasy “Cranes” and this work completed the album “ConTempoRary Violin”.
I decided to take this project entirely into my hands, so I was fully engaged in recording, sound engineering and production of the album. The album came out in August, and my two music videos for tracks from the album “Starless Nocturne” and “Heyran” came out in September. These music videos have already received official selections and nominations at several international film festivals and music awards.
Which composers in the current industry inspire you the most?
I am inspired by those composers with whom I am well acquainted. My teacher, composer, and professor at the Conservatory Alexander Koblyakov is a very important person in my musical life. I was a student in his composition class and in a few years I found my own “language” of instrumental music, and later I transferred this knowledge and experience to songwriting.
I am very glad that my friends-composers whose music I performed at the Philharmonic this year became Grammy® winners and nominees. Danaë Xanthe Vlasse, Nadeem Majdalany, Tom Nazziola, as well as John Finbury (Latin Grammy® 2020) and other composers that I know – all of them are a true inspiration for me.
Recently, I joined the project of an amazing composer with a difficult fate – Mehdi Rajabian. Just google his name and you will understand that this is a true warrior of art who lives for music. Of course, his life story might inspire anyone.
Photo Credit: An Vedi.
What is the best thing about being a composer in 2022?
I’m not sure if this is the “best”, but, as in past centuries, being a composer is not enough today. Now we have a lot of tools for creating digital content, including music, and, theoretically, every person who has downloaded DAW can call himself a composer. But let’s remember how the composers of the past lived. It seems they never slept or ate. Bach, Handel, Mozart and other composers of classical music created hundreds of works during their lifetime. Tons of music paper, ink. Years of rehearsals. Decades of live performances. And they had to go somewhere every day so that people could hear them. And no sound recordings. Of course, we do not know how the fate of digital content carriers will turn out in 100-200 years, but in the present and foreseeable future, every composer can be sure that almost every person on our planet can hear everything that he has composed and recorded.
Is there a certain place you often go to write? E.g a certain room, or environment?
It may be like the story of the violin. Sometimes I “need” to compose, at least a little. And here the environment plays little role. But, objectively speaking, I visited many countries and cities for my musical affairs, I was in many palaces, museums, and exhibitions. I have many memories of beautiful places on our planet and this inspires me.
Sometimes it inspires me that I just see a piano or a guitar and I urgently need to play one of these instruments and write something down in a notebook.
But there were also some rather strange cases. Once I was at a jazz big band concert in a large concert hall with several thousand seats. And I suddenly had a desire to write down one song and even an arrangement for it. And it was not a jazz song, but something like an anthem or a chant. Since I was sitting on the balcony and there was almost no audience next to me, I wrote down the music and lyrics on a sheet of music paper, while the well-known jazz melodies of the 20th century sounded on the stage.
What is your first memory of music?
When I was 2 or 3 years old, my parents (they are not musicians, but they love music) bought cassettes with popular classical music. Most of all, I remember fragments from Symphony No. 40 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the ballet “Swan Lake” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which were performed by some famous orchestras and recorded on these cassettes.
My later musical impressions, around the age of 7 or 8 – I first heard the music by “Queen”. Apparently, that’s why I work in many musical genres as a violinist, composer, singer-songwriter and a conductor too.
With the new album ‘ConTempoRary Violin,’ An Vedi gives us a classical performance that is unlike any other. The strength of the violinist’s playing demonstrates that sometimes this space is all that we require, and the new release from the violinist gives the instrument some much-needed room to breathe.
Cover versions of well-known songs are presented on this disc; however, unlike the original versions, these versions are not in their standard format. It is easy to get lost in each track, and it is invigorating to hear how passionate An Vedi is about the violin and classical music as a whole.
At the moment, Julia Thomsen can do little wrong, and she is strengthening her name in the classical scene and the electronic worlds thanks to her most recent EP, ‘Senses’.
Although we are familiar with the original versions of these pieces, producer T mo’s remix breathes fresh life into them, making them feel like brand-new additions. Moreover, T mo contributes to the creative ideas initially flowing from Julia and blends both classical and electronic genres seamlessly.
Hello, Saskia, Let’s talk about your new album, ‘Together In Love And Separation’, what was the inspiration for creating the album?
Chandra Chakraborty reached out to me having heard of me as a folk singer and invited me over to play music together, tempting me with the offer of dinner too – how could I say no? Once we started playing we knew we had something beautiful and unusual here and set about creating an album project right away to show the world!
What was it like working with Chandra Chakraborty?
Chandra Chakraborty is a truly extraordinary human being. She moved in with her musical guru’s in her teenage years and they even helped arranged her marriage. In her culture it is extremely rare to find women who are empowered to perform and sing throughout their lives and music is not just a fun hobby for someone like her, it is something she dedicated decades of her life to, gave up living with her family for and it exists within a spiritual tradition. Without making a fuss about it, all of that tradition, that sacrifice, that intense dedication and spirituality is fused into who she is and how she performs and it has been an honour and privilege to work with her.
Photo Credit: Saskia Griffiths-Moore
Which composers in the current industry inspire you the most?
I am inspired by strong female vocalists of the western folk traditions, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Eva Cassidy, Gillian Welch to name but a few.
Is there a certain place you often go to write? E.g a certain room, or environment?
I like to write on my boat. I find the peace and quiet of nature to be my best inspiration and while my boat is nothing fancy, floating on the water surrounded by trees and birds and knowing that no-one can hear me makes me feel safe to experiment. I will accept the living rooms of friends as a close second and of course, recording studios as a third favourite.
What is your first memory of music?
Titanic! Remember the song ‘Near, far, wherever you are…’ – my earnest little 5 year old brain absorbed that song and I used to hum it to myself hoping someone would hear me and think it was nice and ask me to sing it properly. They almost never did but I grew a somewhat secret obsession with singing that only came out in my teenage years.
With her latest piece, “Walking in a Dream,” Julia Thomsen transports us to a state of bliss. She does not hold back with her performance here and she charms with a richness that is the ultimate respite from the daily madness.
@ Julia Thomsen
The arrangement of the piano and violin in “Walking In A Dream” is absolutely stunning, and the way that each instrument is layered on top of the other has us clinging to the arms of our chairs with glee. The path is not like many others, and it is accompanied by profound feelings as it unfolds.
The new piece that Chandra Chakraborty and Saskia Griffiths-Moore have created, entitled ‘Together in Love and Separation’ has us completely enthralled. This album is incredibly euphoric in every way imaginable, and the duo’s ability to combine western and Indian musical traditions into a single piece is truly remarkable.
@ Rupert Hitchcox.
Vocally, both of them fly with unparalleled assurance, and they captivate us with every movement of their timbre when they are performing. The new album brings a classical aura that derives mainly from the traditional music of India, but it also includes layers of current and nostalgic folk music from the west, which adds additional flair and excitement to the overall experience.
There are a total of eight tracks on the album, and every one of them contributes something novel to the music industry. Because of this, you will not want to miss them performing live on July 19 at Cecil Sharpe House in London alongside the renowned London Chamber Orchestra, which will be led by Úna Palliser.
Julia Thomsen’s new composition, ‘Tender Love,’ follows up her previous piece, ‘The Butterfly Dream’.
@ Julia Thomsen.
The artist who lives in London makes a significant step forward not just for herself but also for the gen
Her modern classical music approach is magnetic, and she leaves no stone unturned in her endeavour to soothe anyone who comes across her work. Originally from Scotland but now located in London, the composer delves even more profound with this new release, and her performance leaves goosebumps aviating.
Julia welcomes us to paradise with open arms in ‘Tender Love,’ which has a quality that is full of warmth and invites us all in.
‘Precious,’ Julia Thomsen’s latest release, is capturing hearts all around the globe.
The release is quintessential, Julia, a lovely reflection of the world and a reminder of how valuable our surroundings are! Her art is the product of many years spent in nature, and she has a remarkable ability to resonate via her piano performance.
The composer employs innovative structures and tactics to detach from life’s stresses, capturing an irresistible spirit and generating difficult-to-find relaxation.
Julia Thomsen is full of sanguinity, and her latest composition, ‘Wonderness,’ is an excellent illustration of how far she’s come in the last several years.
With each new release, the composer, raised in Scotland, improves, and she reaches a higher level here while still stripping back her composition. The core emphasis of this track is a piano configuration. Even though there aren’t many other elements supporting it, it still stands out with bold character and viscerally expresses itself.
