Through sheer dedication to her craft, Voorand has established herself as a musical ambassador of Estonia, and this is the kind of stage that speaks on an international level.
Kadri and Mihkel can take hold of a stage by expanding the perceived possibilities of piano, bass, and vocals. We saw them do it at last year's Estonian Music Week festival, and it was exciting to see them do it again in an even larger space. Though, of course, this time the audience was online. A bit more than just a few feet away.
This performance was in promotion of her 2019 album “In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand” (available on Spotify). The album, which is her debut on the German record label ACT, is now available on vinyl.
Soon after the duo set foot on the stage, Kadri commenced whistling, altering the notes with a pitch shifting effects pedal, as the light shone gracefully on the stage. The first song “I'm Not In Love” is a heart-wrenching tale of love that exists in gestures and ideas, but just isn't right. Vocals and glockenspiel were entwined by Mälgand playing tender chords on his acoustic bass guitar.
The duo move the stories of their compositions in unexpected ways. They changed up the structure of this song by closing it with layered harmonies that fade away. Mihkel plays a lullaby from a tiny wind-up music box into the mic of his double bass. The twinkling sounds seem symbolic of an idealized but fleeting romance. It winds down slowly and quietly.
The songs were interpolated with views of birds and shoreline from Lahemaa National Park. An area in Northern Estonia where Kadri, her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have all played music and lived.
Kadri and Mihkel leaped through many energetic motifs and autobiographical prompts in 45 minutes' time. One of these was a formative concert experience: seeing Michael Jackson perform in Tallinn on the HIStory Tour, when she was 12 years old. The duo's cover of “They Don't Care About Us” captures the frustration of the original with vocal aspirations and rolling attack on the piano's keys. It exchanges the pneumatic drum beat of the original for rapid scatting.
Partway through the show, jazz trombonist Nils Landgren made a surprise video call appearance. Landgren had introduced Kadri at Jazz Baltica 2013 as part of his artistic director role, and they've been friends since. They chatted for a moment about what it's been like for musicians to make the camera their primary audience, in effect. There are butterflies in your stomach at first, but once the music begins, it feels comfortable again.
Nils led the procession into “Ageing Child” on his shiny red trombone, leading inquisitively into chromatic kalimba instrumentation. Mälgand's bass called like an approaching feline. This piece's verses have a jaunty, danceable 7/8 time signature.
Smoke crawled across the stage for the world premiere of the duo's song “La La La” (a working title). The doppler-effect and sound wave bending bow work of Mälgand feel like flying through moments on a Wellsian time machine. In these pensive musical interludes, we find satisfying conclusions to the interpersonal frustration that Voorand expresses in many of her songs. This concert is the turning of a new chapter in her musical story.
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Kadri Voorand has said that we cannot live without creating music, and indeed, we can't live without listening to it. To enrich yourself with the artistic journeys of Kadri, Mihkel, and other lively Estonian artists, you will most definitely want to follow Estonian Music Week on Instagram and Facebook. New releases, upcoming concerts, and music news— all in your grasp. Needless to say, we can't wait for the first in-person concerts to begin!
This article was written by Vincent Teetsov as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
