Danish-born, Scotland-based composer Christine Kammerer releases debut album "Echoes of North"
A symphonic fusion of Nordic & Celtic Folk Music arranged in collaboration with award-winning musicians from Scotland, Denmark and Norway. At its essence, the project embodies a profound quest to rediscover and re-establish the shared cultural heritage and roots between Scotland and Scandinavia.
“Echoes of North” is the debut album of Danish-Bavarian singer and composer Christine Kammerer, currently residing in Scotland on a Global Talent Visa for Music. The album will be released on the 7th of June 2024. A symphonic fusion of Nordic & Celtic Folk Music arranged in collaboration with award-winning musicians from Scotland, Denmark and Norway. At its essence, the project embodies a profound quest to rediscover and re-establish the shared cultural heritage and roots between Scotland and Scandinavia.
Furthermore, two singles, ”Carry Me Home” and the Danish ”Jeg Kender Et Danmark” (“I Know of a Denmark”), will be released on the 3rd of May and 31st of May.
Featuring 10 tracks, sung in Danish, English, and Gaelic, these compositions have been crafted over nearly a decade. While firmly rooted in folk traditions, the album showcases Kammerer's remarkable musical evolution spanning 25 years. Drawing from her background in classical music, musical theatre, and symphonic heavy metal, her symphonic and cinematic arrangements offer a fresh perspective to the folk genre. The album has been masterfully brought to life by musicians who have weaved together history and modernity, employing a range of ancient and contemporary instruments.
Creating a realm of immersive tracks, ‘Echoes of North’ carries an echo of history within and builds on Kammerer’s relationship with Scotland. For over 15 years she has travelled the vast and inspiring landscapes of Scotland – a place which had been calling out to her since she was just a teenager.
Talking of her debut album, Kammerer explains: “For years, I have been intrigued by music beyond the music itself; how it could act as an agent of communication between people across cultures and borders. A universal language. Seeing the musicians working together in the studio, breathing life and depth into the compositions, felt like witnessing profound cultural connections spring to life.”
“I remember my first trip to Scotland. It was like coming home. I was 18, already captivated by the enchanting sounds of Celtic folk music in general. It’s funny. I remember taking out my phone and recording melodies which would just come to me, as I was lying on a bed of moss or walking the vast glens and dense forests. It felt like harvesting songs and bringing them back to Denmark with. Nourishing them and watching them grow for years.”
Folk music has always been a part of Kammerer’s life: her grandfather was a Bavarian folk musician. Using her degree in Musicology and Comparative Cultural Studies, she later specialised in Viking Age/Early Nordic Music, with which she has been working for the past six years. It was thanks to this work that she uncovered the ancient bonds across the North Sea linking Scotland and Scandinavia.
“As I grew older and began working with a wider range of Scandinavian folk music as well, my fascination with the interconnectedness of the soundscapes from Scandinavia and Scotland grew even stronger.”
This led to Kammerer finally moving to Scotland in 2022.
“I wanted to explore this interconnectedness between the Scottish and Nordic music and culture up close. And I have still only just scratched the surface! For the past two years I have been working on this in a musical whisky experience called “Whisky & Witches”, and as an Affiliate Artist in UNESCO RILA (Refugees Integration through Languages and Arts) with Maryhill Integration Network and the Scottish Crannog Centre. And now, it is all coming together on this album.”
FULL REVIEWS
Playbill
LINKS TO CHRISTINE KAMMERER
www.ckammerer-music.com
https://linktr.ee/ckammerermusic
https://www.facebook.com/ckammerermusic
https://www.instagram.com/christine.kammerer
https://www.youtube.com/@Christine.Kammerer
https://soundcloud.com/chriskam89
