Concert Reviews

Aargauer Zeitung july 5th 2013

The Fusion of Classic, Jazz and Folk, found great resonance

Baden: The classical ensemble «paul taylor orCHestra» presented in the Sebastianskapplelle, Baden its newest project «Alphorn & Nordic Winds» By Peter Thomann

„With two movements from Timo Alakotila‘s Concerto Grosso, the string players of orCHestra under the direction of Paul Wegman Taylor built a first musical bridge between Switzerland and Finland. ...the reputable US conductor resident in Aargau..when conducting in Finland, was inspired to bring together the ancient natural melodies with microtonal inflection of nordic singing with the Alpine horn's overtone scale. In the Concerto for Alphorn and Strings by Carl Rütti, Eliana Burki demonstrated for the first time her stupendous abilities.....thunderous applaus for a great performance...

Then....Karoliina Kantelinen...her special spoken vocal style...and traditional northern Song known as „Joik“, amazed the audience immediately... delightful with her virtuosic comedic presentation in folkloric costume...  seductive harp figurations then lead Karoliina and orCHestra to intone an archaic Wedding song from Karelia...

Duets with Eliana singing back-up in Finnish and then Eliana‘s pieces with Karoliina as backup singer were all enhanced by the multi-facetted percussionst Lukas Mantel joining orCHestra, improvising with the soloists,  providing more groove...

The audience refusing to go, demanded encore after encore, it‘s clapping and stomping in rhythm, shaking the Chapel to its foundations until the strings wound down the evening playing the beloved Swiss „Vreneli from Guggisberg“ solemnly in the minor mode.“

Review translated in excerpt.

Die Fusion aus Klassik, Jazz und Folk fand grossen Anklang - Baden - Aargau - Aargauer Zeitung

Zürisee Zeitung July 2nd 2013

„Rocking Strings and Swinging Alpine horn“, by Jerôme Stern 

Küsnacht: Paul Taylor orCHestra showed in «Alphorn & Nordic Winds» that a chamber orchestra can really groove, and that Finnish ethno singing and alphorn sound pass perfectly together.

„The two movements from Timo Alakotila‘s Concerto Grosso...were interpreted by the string orCHestra sensitively, nevertheless they were only an upbeat to the coming entrance...Eliana Burki, beginning the Concerto by Carl Rütti, unlocked deep mystical horn tones, which, like in fog, one feels as much as hears. A slowly building dialogue with the string players building in tension then breaks into the driving rhythm of a rockband....astonished by Eliana‘s virtuosity, the public is excitied by this first of many highpoints during this matinee...

Then strange sounds from offstage, a solo female voice, yodelling, animal calls? Karoliina Kantelinen a leading exponent of ancient Finnish Joik, sings and dances like a Dervish, the listeners are again amazed, as this leads into an old Wedding Song from Lappland, and several other traditional songs accompanied in modern folk style by orCHestra...the following trio Improvisation between Karoliina‘s voice, Eliana‘s horn and the World/ Jazz percussion of Lukas Mantel, functions freely, strangely individual voices that fully meld together.... the listeners are hypnotized, the applaus ist frenetic, and children present seem to love it too...

Eliana‘s own pieces comprising „Weltreise“ a World Tour Suite, brilliantly orchestrated by Daniel Schnyder, was inspired by her concerts in Argentina, and Egypt, while thoughts journey back to Switzerland: Beginning „Homesick“ with typical horn intervals on a carpet of warm string harmony, one imagines oneself on a high green Alp, but within minutes begins a sharp drumset Tangorhythm, unison orchestra and passionate violin melodies, answered by Eliana's swooping suave Sax shaped Alphorn in its highest register....then, the audience is no longer surprised to find itself suddenly in...“Cairo", with hypnotic oriental modal melody and rhythm, while Eliana‘s Alpine horn screams as if from a Mosque,..ready for further musical destinations, only after three encores was the audience ready to let the musicians leave the stage..“

Review translated in excerpt.

Zürisee-Zeitung, Thursday June 27th, 2013

With the Alphorn in Los Angeles

By Jerôme Stern

Küsnacht: Eliana Burki plays on her Alpine horn Jazz and Rock just as virtuosically as classical music. The world-wide successful musician appears...with the Project Alphorn & Nordic Winds

2nd paragraph...

As easily as she flies between continents, often on the road with her Funk and Rock Band «i Alpinisti», Eliana Burki moves between styles of music...open, curious and seeking new challenges, exactly for this reason was she immediately interested in Paul Taylor‘s project, Alphorn & Nordic Winds. Putting chamber orchestra, percussion, a Finnish singer and Alphorn player together, ventures beyond established musical conventions...

The concerts in June were filmed by Hans Jürgen von der Burchard. Here is an excerpt from the Concerto for Alphorn and Strings by Carl Rütti.

Video