earMUSIC recently announced the release of the first official product by former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen's new project HARUS. A brand new live album/DVD will be released worldwide in collaboration with Edel's classic music division Berlin Classics. This joint venture from two music labels apparently far away from each other would probably sound bizarre at first sight (a label operating in alternative and metal music with one representing traditional classical music artists). The reason lies beneath the many sides of Tarja Turunen's music.

It's widely known that Tarja's music background is in classical music. She later became one of the most important female voices of metal, first as part of multi-million seller Nightwish and later with her successful solo career, carrying her own name.

After two gems of heavy rock, Tarja can finally go back to her "first love" for a while. The new live CD and DVD shows a side of Tarja's music personality that so far was only enjoyed by the lucky fans attending her classical music concerts.

The first output of Harus features traditional and emotional music from Finland presented together with more international repertoire. If Tarja's vocal approach when it comes to rock music is "classical", what stands out in this new musical adventure is the modern approach to classical music.

Tarja Turunen and Harus created a unique blend of organ, electric guitar, percussion and voice. Tarja has the talent to make it sound warm and soft, appealing for the purists as well as for the fans who follow her with a unique dedication.

Besides Tarja's metal superstar status, Harus represents the start of a new journey, crossing genres and music cultures. Harus is a rather peculiar, uncommon Finnish word that describes the four tensors that keep a tent together or the tensor that keeps the mast from falling in a sailing boat. Both of the meanings apply to the musicians involved in Tarja's new project: four members, four equals, four different backgrounds to tie together exquisite classical music developed strongly and in a very stable way, with a taste of experimental, modern feel.

Tarja has declared: "In 2006 we did our first concert together. We had such a joy and fun that we decided to keep on performing as a group. The name

came many years after when we believed it is time to make it official. What is special in HARUS is that every concert represents a magic moment. We have the freedom to be inspired by our own emotions. We hope to be able to offer you that spirit with this CD/DVD."

The international release date for the live CD is November 25. The audio/video bundles (CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray) will hit stores one week later (December 2).

Harus are:

Tarja Turunen: vocals

Kalevi Kiviniemi: organ

Marzi Nyman: guitar

Markku Krohn: percussion