The recording project Northscapes weaves works—from the first decades of the twenty-first century by composers from the Nordic and Baltic countries of Europe—into a tapestry of soundscapes, vibrating between landscape and the imagination, between the external and internal, between nature and psyche.  What these works for piano solo share is a particular attunement to nature, reverberating out of the ever-present reservoir of pagan myths, legends, and folk music of the region.  Their sensitivity to the sonic environment allows these composers to explore the liminal space dividing yet connecting landscape, soundscape, and mindscape.  

More than mere musical “representations” of the striking natural landscapes of the North, each work, in its own way, attempts to transform the natural world into a sonic landscape, a mindscape, into imaginary geographies.  More than simply pastoral nostalgia, these sonic meditations on nature reach beyond the physical to the spiritual, probing the limit dividing the objective and subjective.  Whether it is vast cosmic space or the intimate, interiority of the expressive voice, these works harness the power of music to probe the emotional contours of the tension between world and mind.  Haunted by landscapes colored by memory, fantasy, dreams, decay and infused with emotion, this music shifts consciousness through a transformational synthesis of landscape, soundscape, and mindscape—a shift from imaginary soundscapes to soundscapes of the imagination.  In the hands of Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute, Northscapes is a sonic Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights of the ear and mind.

- Christopher Zimmerman

           Lasse Thoresen            Invocation of Pristine Light Op. 52, No. 1 (2014)

           Anna Thorvaldsdottir  Scape (2011)

            Bent Sorensen              from 12 Nocturnes (2000-2014)

                                          I:  Mignon - Und die Sonne geht Unter

               III:  Nachtlicher Fluss

                                          VII:  Mitternacht mit Mignon

            Kaija Saariaho             Prelude (2007)

            Raminta Serksnyte       Fantasia (1997)

            Peteris Vasks               Music for a Summer Evening (2009)

            Lasse Thoresen            Invocation of Rising Air, Op. 52, No. 2 (2014)

Total time: TBD
Release date: August 27, 2021
UPC: 053479225122

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Quotes & Reviews

“ This first album from the Lithuanian pianist is striking on a number of levels. Jokubaviciute navigates the sharp corners and  deep recesses of these evocative  works not just with impressive  technical skill, but with a lot of  soul as well. A visceral debut.” - BBC Music Magazine

“The unusual colors and textures that emerge from this “prepared” New York Steinway D open a gateway to a fantastic sonic universe that’s strong, fragile, and utterly compelling” - Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile

“Ieva Jokubaviciute Explores the Color and Disparity of New Nordic Music on Her New Album Northscapes” - Delarue, New York Music Daily

“Although I was not quite sure what to expect from this release, I certainly looked forward to auditioning it… I’m glad I did so, for I was richly rewarded. Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute is able to draw astonishing sounds from the piano, both form the keyboard and from “under the hood” if so requested by the composer; and Sono Luminus has captured in all in gloriously realistic sound quality. Particularly impressive are the two contributions by Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen, which open and close the program… fresh, bracing new sounds, expertly played and magnificently recorded. If you are a fan of piano music and have at least a modicum of musical adventurousness in your soul, Northscapes belongs on your audition list.” - Karl W. Nehring, Classical Candor

“It is, in fact, a superb recital disc from a quite exceptionally talented pianist. …I was consistently won over by the fabulous talents of Jokubaviciute. The representative of her agency described her… as “one hell of a pianist“. For once, such a comment is an understatement!” - David McDade, MusicWeb International

“While Northscapes oscillates between ethereal soundscapes and melody-enhanced settings that retain ties to the romantic classical piano tradition… its settings make a powerful cumulative statement and leave as strong an impression. The selections are both wholly contemporary and, despite abstraction being a key aspect of many, accessible, and through it all, Jokubaviciute shows herself a master at giving form to the composers' diverse expressions. While no performance of a work is ever the final word, there is a sense in which these feel definitive, so convincingly does she pinpoint their essence in her renderings.” - Ron Schepper, Textura

“This fascinating, unusual and at times enthralling selection is performed with a great balance of precision, understanding and respect. Importantly for a program in which textural considerations are central, Northscapes is beautifully recorded with warmth, plenty of space and no brassiness in the upper registers.” - Lisa MacKinney, Limelight Magazine