Bjarke Falgren | Turkis | June 26, 2026

Danish violinist and composer Bjarke Falgren releases Turkis on June 26, 2026, a record shaped by openness, intuition, and a highly physical relationship with his instrument. Built around the idea of letting music unfold without force, the album centres on flow, space, and presence, with Falgren allowing compositions to emerge organically rather than directing them toward fixed outcomes.

The title reflects this approach. For Falgren, “turquoise” represents horizons – spaces where boundaries dissolve and movement feels unforced. “I never compose with an idea of where I want to go,” he explains. “I listen. I wait. And when the wind turns, I follow.” That sense of release runs throughout the album, where silence, slowness, and restraint are as central as melody and rhythm.

At the core of the record is Falgren’s distinctive violin language. His playing is rooted in a tactile, breath-like approach to the bow, shaped over decades with his nearly 300-year-old instrument. “I have worked with the bow the way others work with the voice,” he says. “Like a breath that is always present – even when nothing is being said.” The result is music that prioritises tone, phrasing, and space, drawing the listener into close, detailed interaction with the sound.

While Turkis moves between lyrical passages, rhythmic movement, and more reflective moments, its focus remains on immediacy rather than display. The album brings together elements from across Falgren’s wide musical background – jazz, folk traditions, and improvised music – without settling into a single idiom, instead favouring a fluid, personal language shaped by experience and collaboration.

A four-time Danish Music Award winner, Falgren was named the first recipient of the Ellen & Svend Asmussen Prize by Svend Asmussen, who regarded him as a musical successor. Alongside his work as a performer, he composes for film, theatre, and television. Over a career spanning more than two decades, Falgren has contributed to over a hundred albums — playing a leading role on more than 15 of them, even when not releasing under his own name. Turkis is only his second album credited entirely to himself, with two records alongside German guitarist Sönke Meinen among his most prominent collaborations.

With Turkis, Falgren presents his most personal statement to date – music grounded in listening, shaped by movement, and driven by a search for connection beyond words.

Line up

Track Listing

Embrace
Il Posto del Padre
Cigarillos por Favor
Viola
Tiden Står Stille Her
Rossignol
Rosa’s Forår
Low Five
Vinden Vänder
Hora Azul

PR Quotes

Jazzthetik (DE)
“The ensemble shows itself to be extremely well rehearsed and comes together with great precision. For fans of jazz violin, this album is an absolute must!”

Paris-move (FR)
“the kind of record that might accompany a long drive or an afternoon spent with something cold in hand, letting the world drift by at its own pace”

Jazznyt (DK)
“Bjarke Falgren builds a beautiful and original universe where the violin – which we so often associate with swing jazz – finds new paths”

Backseat Mafia (UK)
“music of hidden depths and shifting emotions that will take you to different shorelines each time”

Textura (USA)
“Danish violinist Bjarke Falgren is one of those special musicians where there’s no apparent separation between heart, mind, and fingers”

Jazz in Family (IT)
“Bjarke Falgren probably creates the most personal work of his recording career. It’s not an album built to impress through virtuosity or conceptual superstructure.”

FREQ (UK)
“Turkis is an album of passion and desire refracted through a prism of distance and yearning for something just out of reach. I can see why Bjarke waited for this set of songs to put his name to and it is a delight from start to finish“

La Habitacion del Jazz (ES)
“Falgren works magic with stringed instruments, especially the violin. His lyricism is captivating”

Lira (SE)
“I get caught up and fall head over heels for Bjarke Falgren’s unique voice“

Jazz Journal (UK)
“lively and enjoyable samba Cigarillos Por Favor and the delicate, elegant pianism of Viola. Guitarist Jakob Riis Holm’s solo on Low Five also ups the jazz quotient, as does the modal swing of Vinden Vänder”

Jazz-fun (DE)
“With Turkis, Bjarke Falgren presents an album that is both personal and poetic. It combines improvisational freedom, melodic sensitivity, and an extraordinary sonic aesthetic into music that doesn’t dictate where it will lead – but rather has the courage to discover the path only while playing”

Making a Scene (USA)
“The music and presentation by Bjarke Falgren are rich with emotion, peace and love. As I listen, I rest in the tranquility of his musical moments. Falgren’s playing and presentation have a calming effect on the heart and soul.”

All That… (DK)
“A release that more than meets the expectations of a deeply personal mastery of the instrument, but also shows a composer who manages to write music that has roots in both Scandinavian and Latin American folk music.”

Musik an sich (DE)
“TURKIS is the color of horizons – where the sky meets sea, where boundaries dissolve, and where music flows freely. It’s in that space I feel most inspired.” Yes, before I read that, I basically had very similar feelings regarding the expression of the music, and so I have no choice but to agree with the musician’s statements and confirm that he has completely succeeded in realizing this intention! Bravo!”

JazzNu (NL)
“His group plays superbly, and Bjarke Falgren’s music is pleasantly addictive”

Bluebird Reviews (UK)
“A must-have album in your personal collection.“