Music of the Day, 4 October 2024

a soothing instrumental piece

I’ve been in a pretty negative headspace the past few days and have been struggling to get out. I woke up this morning wanting to rewatch a specific music-related video, but I had only the broadest clues to help me find it. I succeeded, and in watching it this morning rediscovered the balm my spirit needed.

“Ordner Seg”—meaning “it’ll be alright”—is an original composition by Norwegian tubaist extraordinaire Øystein Baadsvik. It is luscious, beautifully displaying the instrument’s pitch and dynamic range. For those who might prefer a more complex arrangement, here’s a version with a rock band accompanying the tuba and piano.

I can’t decide which I prefer; each has its charms. Do you have a preference? At the center is arguably the most unlikely of solo instruments, yet both renditions show what a lovely and versatile sound the tuba can have.

As lovely as “Ordner Seg” is, the piece highlights a mere sliver of Baadsvik’s formidable talent. I discovered him years ago via his 2017 TEDx Trondheim talk, during which he recounts how he became a tuba soloist… which was primarily by exploring what the instrument is capable of. Turns out it’s so much more than providing the low end and occasionally a counterpoint.

Words cannot capture what Baadsvik is capable of, so I’ll leave you today with that talk/performance. I’ve long enjoyed tuba and sousaphone music: Øystein Baadsvik has taken it to all-out adoration. I hope you have a deeper appreciation of it now too.