If you preorder the CD you get BOTH the CD and the digital album download.
The CD also comes in a stunning 3-fold digipack cover, containing:
- an epic 36-page booklet with dialogues between the musicians, discussing their relationship and the inspirations for each chosen piece.
- gorgeous photography by Elly Lucas
- you INSTANTLY receive one album track download: Track 3: "Waltzska For Su-a", a duet with fellow cellist Natalie Haas.
Includes unlimited streaming of Dialogues
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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Streaming + Download
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
I first met Pekka when he came to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as a soloist in 1998, but it was when Pekka came to direct us from the violin (no conductor as such) on a Highlands tour in 2005, that we got to know him better - it was unforgettable. From an introduction to the music of Sallinen, a sparkling Vivaldi Four Seasons, to imitating an audience member's Nokia mobile ring tone that accidentally went off during the performance, he had me utterly captivated. Ever since then he has returned regularly to our orchestra, and we have had such fun experimenting with programmes and enjoying the spirit and humour that he brings to any company.
Pekka is the most versatile musician I know. There is seemingly nothing he doesn’t excel at. As well as being a top-notch violin soloist, he is also a composer, improvisor, conductor, curator, director, singer and folk musician. He is also something of a virtuosic whistler. One of my favourite Pekka moments is watching how he galvanised a 4,000-strong audience at the BBC Proms to sing along with a Finnish folk tune in the encore. He sang it while accompanying himself on the fiddle with the humour, communication and delivery of a natural stand-up comedian.
He is such a superstar in our classical world, I barely believed that he would want to collaborate on this project of mine. But in the darkest months of lockdown in 2020, he was the first of my collaborators to step into the studio with me.
Again, I am deeply grateful to Robert McFall for handing me some beautiful countermelodies on which I could base my improvisations.
PEKKA:
Our choice of music came from Su-a sifting through a bunch of her voice memos from 2015, when I recorded some Finnish and Swedish folksongs for her backstage at an SCO performance. They included a waltz that I love from the south of Finland called Lundgren. Su-a loved the fact that it had varied sections and possibilities of fun rhythmic deviation.
I first heard the tune when I heard J.P .P . for the first time - a group of Finnish folk musicians from Kaustinen. That gig, the release party of the String Tease album at the Kaustinen Festival, was the beginning of my love affair with trad music. Lundgren is a really big tune for me, and I actually got to play it as a guest fiddle player in J.P .P . when they came to my festival years ago.
When I play it outside of Finland, I like to point out that it's got nothing to do with Dolph Lundgren who is an absolute superhero genius by the way!
Since we didn’t have a chance to have a rehearsal, the session was an ‘in the moment’ arrangement and mostly improvised. I really like the conversational vibe in our version of the tune. So happy you asked me to play, Su-a. And that whisky is still the best I've tasted...
credits
from Dialogues,
released December 2, 2022
FINNISH WALTZ: Lundgren Trad. arr. P Kuusisto, S Lee & Robert McFall
Pekka Kuusisto – fiddle
Su-a Lee – cello
Produced by Su-a Lee & Andrea Gobbi
Engineered by Andrea Gobbi - all tracks recorded, mixed & mastered by Andrea Gobbi at GloWorm Recording, Glasgow, except additional recording for track 2 by Rimmert van Lummel).
Su-a Lee is one of Scotland’s most versatile, adventurous and charismatic cellists - she's worked with icons Eric Clapton,
Jack Bruce (Cream) and Peter Erskine (Weather Report) She works extensively in the UK classical and folk music scenes and is a founding member of the highly innovative Mr. McFall’s Chamber and a long standing member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Assistant Principal Cello)...more
My brother-in-law Jeff Babko is an internationally renowned keyboard player. This album pushes the envelope on funk, fusion and organ trio jazz originals with some cathartic, scintillating results. Su-a Lee
supported by 92 fans who also own “Lundgren (Feat. Pekka Kuusisto)”
So pleased to see your second album on its way. I’ve just about worn a hole in your first CD because I love it so much. Cannae wait due the whole thing to appear on 4th May. The taster track is AWESOME!! 🙏 floradouglas
