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LP
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HUBRO 3650LP
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LP version. Pianist and composer Christian Wallumrød releases a sequel to the album Pianokammer from 2015 (HUBRO 2542CD/3542LP). The album is a deep dive into Wallumrød's interpretation of solo piano, sometimes with a sophisticated and distinct electronic environment. Text by Ivar Grydeland: "For as long as I can remember, Christian Wallumrød's piano touch has done something to me. We met early. The peculiar and surprising, but still somewhat self-evident, melodic twists. Not to mention the far above average well -- weighted ornaments. He manages to create completely unique universes, either with his own ensemble or alone. In recent years, he has also returned to electronics and he treats them with a gentle rawness. There has always been something historical to the music of Christian Wallumrød. And something futuristic. I listen to Speaksome and I feel carried both to the past and the future. I have no idea where I am or when I am. I am flung forwards and backwards. Speaksome is subtle and playful, and the measures are full of power. Maybe because they are few, but rich in nuances... The music is so unmistakable. Nevertheless, Christian Wallumrød manages to invent new mutations and new music just before we think we have heard it all before. The album has an intimate soundscape that suits the music. We stay close, although both 'Treeline' and 'Zitternpappel' take us beyond. He's right over here. And what he shows us is episodic and liberatingly unresolved. Part of me travels to Berlin, Laurel Canyon, Mississippi, Hallingdal, Leipzig and Vienna. But first and foremost I am here, by his piano stool at Hovseter in Oslo. Or else he's here. In my living room. Anyway, I can hear the strings breathing, the electronics breezing."
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CD
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HUBRO 2542CD
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Christian Wallumrød has for many years been regarded as one of the most prominent and original creators of music in Norway. He is instantly identifiable both as a composer and as a pianist, while at the same time any attempt to categorize his music is doomed to fail. It is not surprising that on his first solo album, Pianokammer, Wallumrød has come up with his own special twists and turns. Here he presents an inspired solo album that is as challenging as it is enjoyable. The album, produced by Wallumrød himself, was recorded in a number of venues and on a variety of grand pianos. He experiments with different recording techniques, overdubs, natural resonance, and editing. In terms of the music, the album alternates successfully between inquisitive, challenging excursions and catchy, carefree, melodic pieces. The music fluctuates between very intimate and far out. Pianokammer was constructed in the studio to a greater degree than his earlier collaborative albums, but without losing the kind of chamber music dynamism we are accustomed to hearing from him. Wallumrød comes from a jazz and church music background, and in his four records with his ever-changing Christian Wallumrød Ensemble on ECM he has erased the borders between jazz, hymns, gospel, folk music, baroque music, and contemporary music, while carving out his own niche in the hearts and minds of listeners and critics. At the same time he has been involved in equally remarkable collaborative projects in the group Dans les Arbres as well as with artists such as Susanne Sundfør, Nils Petter Molvær, Arve Henriksen, Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer, Karl Seglem, Jan Bang, Garth Knox, DJ Strangefruit, Oslo Sinfonietta, and Kim Myhr. Wallumrød won a Spellemannspris (often dubbed a "Norwegian Grammy") for his ensemble's 2013 album Outstairs (ECM), and was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize for the ensemble's 2009 ECM album Fabula Suite Lugano.
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LP+CD
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HUBRO 3542LP
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LP version. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Includes CD.
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