Stille Grender
Carol of the Bells [2:05]
The Bells [2:04]
Det lyser i stille grender [2:49]
Deilig er den himmel blå [3:05]
Jul i svingen [2:17]
Glade jul (Stille natt) [2:23]
Joleklokker over jorda [3:45]
Eg veit i himmerik ei borg [2:32]
Jul, jul, strålande jul [4:02]
Jeg er så glad hver julukveld [6:28]
Nå tennes tusen julelys [3:31]
Mitt hjerte alltid vanker [8:28]
Folkefrelsar [5:48]
Ljoset nytt i natti rann [4:15]
Deilig er jorden [3:37]
Det Norske Jentekor/Anne Karin Sundal-Ask
Tord Gustavsen (piano)
rec. February 2020, Uranienborg Church, Oslo, Norway
2L 2L-164-SABD [57:21]
This is another Christmas recording that lost its way during the postage chaos of December 2020, but is such a fine recording that, transcending in many ways its seasonal relevance, deserves its review at any time of the year. As with many 2L releases, this package contains two discs: one Blu-ray version, and a SACD hybrid disc used for this review.
Pianist Tord Gustavsen is known for some excellent jazz recordings on the ECM label, and his distinctive playing is the element that defines the flavour of much of this recording. The well-known Carol of the Bells opens with a percussive damped-string groove from the piano over which the voices of the Norwegian Girls Choir deliver a fine arrangement of this ear-worm tune, on which Gustavson follows with a fine improvisation.
Texts for all of the pieces are included in the booklet in the Norwegian used in performance, and with English translations provided. Gustavson’s accompaniments are sensitive but by no means passive, creating at times an almost orchestral underpinning which adds richness to the lightness of the young voices recorded here. For non-Norwegian listeners there are plenty of unfamiliar tunes here to take us beyond cliché, but even for oft-heard carols such as Silent Night, heard here in vocalise with a sparkling piano part, there is a freshness of approach that makes everything sound newly-minted and unusual, without loosing that all-important Christmassy atmosphere of magic and expectation.
Gustavson doesn’t overuse the George Crumb damped string effects, but they provide a superb underpinning for parts of Joleklokker over jorda, which is also a joyous showcase for the choir’s impeccable discipline and feel for rhythm. These effects are more fully explored in Folkefrelsar, with melodic material appearing in overtones on the damped strings. Jazzy inflection is contrasted with a reflective and melancholy feel to some of the pieces here, such as Eg veit i himmerik ei borg performed a capella, and followed by another memorable and atmospherically arranged number, Jul, jul, strålande jul.
This is a recording that teases us non-Norwegians with music that has a seasonal familiarity, while making us wish that we were part of a culture that clearly rises to meet those dark Nordic winter nights with much beauty and an elusive poetry that, on this impression, cuts through increasingly common cynical attitudes to Christmas. I’m sure I can be accused of giving too much significance to such an artefact, but to my ears it could hardly come from anywhere else in the world, and that has to count for something. 2L’s recording is entirely immersive and beautifully balanced, giving clarity to the timbre of the voices without dispersing their close sense of ensemble, and giving the piano a fabulous depth and presence, all in the perfect acoustic of Uranienborg Church in Olso. The booklet also includes an enchanting short story by Tania Kjeldset.
Dominy Clements
