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This week's entry in the very-much-like-nothing-you've-ever-heard-before sweepstakes comes from Icelandic electronic musician and composer Ólafur Arnalds and German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott, whose recording of Chopin waltzes inspired the project. What you get are recordings of Chopin piano compositions, plus original compositions by Arnalds based on motifs from Chopin. In one case, "Eyes Shut/Nocturne in C minor" (track six), the two are combined. Arnalds' pieces employ his own electronic keyboard textures, plus a live string quintet. On top of this, the pianos are vintage instruments hunted down in Reykjavik, and the ambience, if you will, was manipulated by recording in various venues and with various microphones there. And, on top of all this, Arnalds adds ambient soundscapes (noise, sounds of conversation, whispers, etc.) to the music. The ideas seem packed in a bit thick. The string quintet, for example, was a sound unused by Chopin, and it introduces an element that seems discordant with the source material. But there is a major X factor working in favor of this release: nobody has ever tried anything much like this, either with Chopin or with any other composer, and it just might be the beginning of something new and important. Check it out and decide for yourself!
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Verses (Ólafur Arnalds)
Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Piano Sonata No.3 (Frédéric Chopin)
Frederic Chopin, Composer - Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Nocturne in C sharp minor (Frédéric Chopin)
Frederic Chopin, Composer - Nathan Milstein, Arranger, Work Arranger - Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Mari Samuelsen, Violin, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Reminiscence (Ólafur Arnalds)
Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Nocturne in G Minor (Frédéric Chopin)
Frederic Chopin, Composer - Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Eyes Shut (Ólafur Arnalds)
Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Written in stone (Ólafur Arnalds)
Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Letters of a traveller (Ólafur Arnalds)
Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Composer, Producer, Mixer, Piano, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Prélude in D Flat Major ("Raindrop") (Frédéric Chopin)
Frederic Chopin, Composer - Alice Sara Ott, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Nils Frahm, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ólafur Arnalds, Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Viktor Orri Arnason, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Unnur Jonsdottir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson:, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Bergur Þórisson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Finnur Hákonarson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Snorri Hallgrimsson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Björk Óskarsdóttir, Strings, AssociatedPerformer - Þórarinn Már Baldursson, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited
Album review
This week's entry in the very-much-like-nothing-you've-ever-heard-before sweepstakes comes from Icelandic electronic musician and composer Ólafur Arnalds and German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott, whose recording of Chopin waltzes inspired the project. What you get are recordings of Chopin piano compositions, plus original compositions by Arnalds based on motifs from Chopin. In one case, "Eyes Shut/Nocturne in C minor" (track six), the two are combined. Arnalds' pieces employ his own electronic keyboard textures, plus a live string quintet. On top of this, the pianos are vintage instruments hunted down in Reykjavik, and the ambience, if you will, was manipulated by recording in various venues and with various microphones there. And, on top of all this, Arnalds adds ambient soundscapes (noise, sounds of conversation, whispers, etc.) to the music. The ideas seem packed in a bit thick. The string quintet, for example, was a sound unused by Chopin, and it introduces an element that seems discordant with the source material. But there is a major X factor working in favor of this release: nobody has ever tried anything much like this, either with Chopin or with any other composer, and it just might be the beginning of something new and important. Check it out and decide for yourself!
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 00:45:33
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Ólafur Arnalds Alice Sara Ott
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Mercury Classics
- Genre: Classical
© 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2015 Mercury KX, a division of Decca Music Group Limited, under exclusive license to Universal Music Classics, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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