Maarja Nuut turns Kumu concert into a post-apocalyptic farewell
Saturday 17th October 2026 on 14:30 in
Estonia
Maarja Nuut’s new song cycle, “Combing Hair with Sand,” conjured a dystopian world of dwindling resources and a final farewell at its premiere in the Kumu auditorium on October 10, according to a review published by ERR.
The concert brought together Nuut, who performed on vocals, violin and electronics, the UK vocal ensemble Shards and percussionist Nicolas Stocker. The 2026 cycle sets texts by Eha Lättemäe, Ilmar Laaban, Tõnis Vilu, Hasso Krull, Mehis Heinsaar and Nuut.
The review begins with the intense, wolf-like gaze in the concert poster, which depicts Nuut in what appears to be a garment made from natural materials. Strips resembling translucent gauze cross the image, with the words “Combing Hair with Sand” seemingly written in blood. The portrait raises questions about the story behind it, the reviewer writes.
On stage, large, wrinkled metallic drapes resemble emergency blankets trying to preserve the last of their warmth. The setting suggests a dystopian world after a catastrophe. The reviewer imagines the remains of an orbital station drifting in space, its occupants unable to return to Earth, with limited resources and a sad farewell song to sing.
Moving reflections from a few suspended lights deepen the sense that nature is no longer present, but remembered. The scene contrasts with the wild figure in the poster, which had suggested a person blending into the natural world.
Nuut’s collaboration with Shards began through Studio Richter Mahr, created by Max Richter and visual artist Yulia Mahri. In February 2025, Nuut worked with the ensemble during a residency in England on an existing choral cycle. She later adapted the material for Shards and wrote new pieces. In an interview with Tõnis Kahu, she described the process as painful, as she weighed how much freedom to give the singers against how much control to retain.
The music opens with crackling sounds of nature at daybreak, as Nuut plays repeated notes on the violin. Shards sings restrained lines about being “beyond yesterday and tomorrow” and “how much force there is in this weightlessness.” A soft resonance from cymbals, likened in the review to Tibetan bells, adds a sacred quality that carries through the performance.