‘I’m always happy on stage!’ Mari Kalkun releases live album featuring Estonian National Male Choir

“For me these are not just concert recordings – these are documents from my travels with the album Stories of Stonia which has taken me around the globe! Live album marks moments of meeting with the audiences with whom I often don’t share the same language but with whom we share the common space and time in music,” describes Kalkun.

“Behind these recordings are countless hours of touring – travelling on trains, planes, cars, taxis, buses… The most valuable understanding from all these travels is that human nature is universal. No matter how different our cultures are – we experience life as human beings through the same spectrum of emotions. Some of the most powerful moments have been in singing together with the audience during the concerts (you can also hear this in some of the tracks!). This is an element of Estonian singing culture that I always try to incorporate into my own live performances, to bring a feeling of simple unity and belonging that we are so much lacking in this world. I have longed for music I can create in a moment.”

“The songs of Stories of Stonia evolved so much in solo live concerts that many of them became quite different from the recorded album versions. This became a good reason to release the live version of the album that you can listen to starting from today,” adds the artist. She also emphasizes that she is always happy on stage – regardless of how easy or difficult the previous journey was, because when singing, she is in a different state of mind. “Singing is a meditation that brings me peace in this constantly restless and chaotic world,” she says.

This spring’s concerts with the Estonian National Male Choir whisked the audience into another world. “It was mystical what happened. The halls roared, hummed, echoed, and resonated with sound. The joint concerts had an extraordinarily powerful energy, and based on the feedback I received from listeners, I realized that this experience deeply touched them. Working with the Estonian National Male Choir has been an incredible honor, and five songs recorded during this successful concert tour have been included on the album,” explains Kalkun.  The next performance of Mari Kalkun and the Estonian National Male Choir with the same repertoire is already scheduled for June 1 in Estonia.

The live recordings from the concerts have been captured by Mari’s sound engineer, Taavo Teras. The album was produced by Martin Kikas, and the final mastering was done by Tim Oliver at Real World Studios in the UK. The album is again released in collaboration with the beloved record label Real World Records. The cover design was created by Peeter Laurits. “I’m immensely grateful to the entire team, including the manager, agent, supporters, family, and everyone involved!” says the artist.

Stories of Stonia Live is out now on all digital platforms, and available to order on CD via Mari’s website.