Epigraphs

These gentle, atmospheric sounds summon forth images of 20th century tonalities, forgotten folk music, the spiritual essence of Scandinavia and a touch of jazz. Pianist Ketil Bjørnstad's three ruminative variations on his initial "Epigraph No. 1" form the conceptual backbone of this recital, with David Darling's arco bow work on (what sounds like a his bass-extended five-string) cello adding a contrapuntal touch to "Variation 1." "Variation 2" finds the pianist crystallizing this slow, spare theme to sub-atomic levels of frosty, midnight sun stillness, while on "Variation 3" his chords open up and bloom in the manner of Bill Evans. Bjørnstad and Darling also interpret a mélange of pre-Baroque and Renaissance music and mix it into a suite of sorts with a select assortment of original compositions. Their contemporary and spontaneous feel is at least in part aided by the expansive, reverberant production of Manfred Eicher and long-time collaborator engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug in the acoustic depths of Rainbor Studio, in Oslo, Norway. Thus, the "Pavane" of William Byrd (1543-1623) comes across as a serene Nordic meditation (with some curious minor-key ornaments redolent of the Near East), while the "Fantasia" of Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) evokes the courtly dance in surreal slow motion. Often, the very sound of what they do is commensurate with the note values, as on the impressionistic, slightly hazy recollections of "Song for TKJD," where Darling's multitrack cellos beckon as if from a dream, or "The Lake," where Bjørnstad's bell-like upper-register notes glisten like moonlight against the stately pools of chanted cadences and bowed tones.