Eva Väljaots – Hundinuiaõis – Bulrush Bloom (self-released, 2022)
“Hundinuiaõis – Bulrush Bloom” presents the mesmerizing sounds of the traditional kannel, a plucked zither from Estonia. Composer, kannel player and graphic artist Eva Väljaots is one of the leading performers of the kannel in her country and this is her debut album.
On “Hundinuiaõis”, Eva Väljaots uses several types of kannels, extracting a wide range of kannel tones, combining tradition with modern improvisation. Väljaots’s musical pieces are deeply evocative and transfixing, inspired by ancient tales.
The title of the album, “Hundinuiaõis”, means bulrush bloom. Eva Väljaots describes the meaning of the album: “The bloom of a bulrush is an interesting symbol for me. At first sight, the bulrush spikelet looks anything else than a usual blossom, but in a closer look it reveals hundreds of little blossoms, which are without petals and therefore very vulnerable. At the same time, it hides a huge potential in it – one spikelet can produce over a million seeds and these plants have been used for many various purposes from culinary to weaving furniture. In addition, the bulrushes can purify water from toxins and growing almost everywhere in the world, they are cosmopolitan with a huge ability to adapt. Someone like this is the Bulrush Bloom in the illustrations – a little and vigorous character who travels around the world.”
The music on “Hundinuiaõis” is accompanied by Eva’s own illustrations, which appear on the album booklet. As animations, they can be seen at some of Eva Väljaots’s concerts, where they accompany her music.
Get the album at evavaljaots.bandcamp.com/album/hundinuia-is-bulrush-bloom
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.