Naava (2022)

Naava was inspired by the forest view of the ground floor window of my first office in Finland. This thick wall of trees, only meters away from the window, blocked much of any sunlight that the north-facing room would ever get, rendering the office dark for most of the year. What I attempted to capture musically in this piece was some of this darkness, but also the mystery, shades and wildlife of this thick forest so present in my daily composing. The music is fast and unsettled. There is a constant pulsation and fluttering, evoking a living ecosystem. Towards the end of the work the music calms down and a trumpet melody emerges. In a moment of clarity, this melody makes brief reference to Gregorio Allegri’s famous, and beautiful, choir work ‘Miserere’ - perhaps representing the rare streaks of light shining through the forest roof - before descending again into more tumultuous moments, which finish the work. Naava is the Finnish word for beard lichens, the green and grey hanging moss that makes forests appear ancient and alive.

Joel Järvenstauta