Comme une parenthèse dans l’agitation du monde, un éloge de la lenteur tissé par deux Norvégiens, le violoniste Nils Okland et le claviériste Sigbjorn Apeland. Minimaliste et planant, un voyage beau et envoûtant.
Patrick Labesse, Le Monde
The appropriately titled ‘Glimmer’, from Nils Økland (Hardanger fiddle and violin), and Sigbjørn Apeland (harmonium), is an evocative journey through the traditional landscapes of Norwegian folk music. Much of the album is related, in different ways, to the area of Western Norway where Økland and Apeland grew up, Nord-Rogaland and Sunnhordland. The enchanting music created by the duo echos a feeling of natural beauty, hope and resilience; beautifully crafted from Apeland’s collection of pieces from local singers who have helped to keep the musical traditions alive. Combined with original compositions, the album flows gracefully from beginning to end, bringing to mind a harsh, rugged, yet beautiful land of musical storytelling and lasting friendships. […] Recorded at ABC studio, Etne, Norway, and mixed at Bavaria Studio, Munich, ‘Glimmer’ is produced by Manfred Eicher. The sound is stunning… in a way that suits the instruments being used. It’s like the music comes out of the earth manifesting itself by way of two musicians channelling its power and importance, thereby retelling old and new stories through the captivating music they play.
Mike Gates, UK Vibe
Norwegian violinist Nils Økland and keyboardist Sigbjørn Apeland have been collaborating for 30 years, largely exploring the place where Norwegian traditional music and improvisation meet. On ‘Glimmer’ they delve into a collection of folk music and originals arranged for Økland’s Hardanger fiddle and violin, and Apeland’s harmonium. […] Much of it comes from or is related to the region of Western Norway known as Haugalandet, which includes Nord-Rogaland and Sunnhordland. The bulk of the pieces here were collected by Apeland in the region, along with several old transcriptions and archive recordings. In addition there are some compositions by each of the duo and one they created together. The overall mood is somber, melancholic and reflective, since the tunes mostly were taken from the serious folk song tradition rather than the region’s dance music. […] This is Økland’s sixth album for ECM, which include another acclaimed collaboration with Apeland, 2011’s ‘Lysøen – Hommage à Ole Bull’. The keyboardist also contributed to one of my favorite albums of the past decade, the Nils Økland Band’s ‘Kjølvatn’. ‘Glimmer’ is a more focused and mostly somber affair, but undoubtedly a worthy addition to the discography. Highly recommended.
Gary Whitehouse, Greenman Review
Nils Økland und Sigbjørn Apeland Machen seit 30Jahren gemeinsam Musik in unterschiedlichen Formationen. Tradition und Aufbrüche von dort kennzeichnen ihre Arbeit. Nun erscheint mit ’Glimmer’ ein neues Duo-Album, das vom Start weg gefangen nimmt. Man staunt und staunt, wie einen diese Musik emotional berührt, verzaubert und begückt. Nichts wirkt hier aufgesetzt oder beflissen, alles ist voller schwelgerischer Schönheit neben dem Banalen, ohne mit Experimenten überrumpeln zu wollen. Diese Klänge ruhen in sich mit überwältigender Magie. […] Neben jedem Betrieb entfaltet das seine besinnliche Ruhe wie aus einem sakralen Raum heraus, den es ausleuchtet. Das ist alt und neu, indem es unaufgeregt und beiläufig auch atonale Momente integriert, die das innere Strahlen der Töne steigern.
Ulrich Steinmetzger, Freie Presse
This is an album of mostly slow, gentle, haunting melodies of an alluring (if inevitably, perhaps, deceptive) simplicity. That said, the combination of fiddle and harmonium is far from limited in terms of tonal and textural variety: there is an airy delicacy here, but also a granite-like solidity; radiant sunlight as well as brooding darkness, and many shades between. In other words, the music feels elemental, timeless; its virtues derive less from ornamentation than from a kind of pared-back purity, a focus on essentials. […] an album of rare honesty and beauty.
Geoff Andrew, Notes & Observations
This beautifully evocative music for fiddle and harmonium comes from a longstanding musical relationship between Økland and Apeland that goes back more than thirty years. Much of the inspiration for the music is related to the region in Western Norway where the two musicians grew up.The music has been painstakingly collected by Sigbjørn Apeland, often from local singers, as well as transcriptions and archive recordings. The music is detailed and remarkably varied with Økland and Apeland conjuring many different sounds, performance dynamics and textures from the Hardanger fiddle and harmonium. […] The interplay and empathy between Økland and Apeland is staggering, and the music all the more moving for it. […] An unusual and beguiling album from two musicians that are not just aware of the tradition of their respective instruments and folk music of the region, but who actively seek to help keep the tradition alive, and as such it is highly recommended.
Nick Lea, Jazz Views
The first Hardanger fiddler I ever heard was Norway’s Nils Økland, who has long pursued his own marriage of traditional folk and original music, albeit with a stronger focus on jazz and western classical music. He recently dropped a new duo album with long-time musical partner, keyboardist Sigbjorn Apeland, ‘Glimmer’, a long overdue follow-up to the 2011 homage they made to the legendary Norwegian fiddler and composer Ole Bull. The repertoire mixes original material from each musicians, including a couple of collaborative pieces, with traditional vocal tunes collected by Apeland, who stick with harmonium on this gorgeous recording […] Across the album the keyboardist lays out a ruminative, graceful foundation for the fiddler’s lines, but their rapport and connection when elaborating the often melancholy themes is just as stunning and satisfying as the solo sections. Apeland’s ‘Valevåg’ is a fraught duet, where the sound of the harmonium being open and closed seems as important as the actual musical tones, and the pair never really disembark from the composed material, tracing out dark lines that move between unison and counterpoint. Apeland’s meandering lines convey a wonderfully queasy feeling, a sensation heightened by Økland’s gently snaking articulation. Rarely does such a subdued, concise piece of music hit as hard as this two-and-a-half minute marvel. […] It’s a fantastic album.
Peter Margasak, Nowhere Street
It’s very rare to encounter music as beautiful as this, that can be returned to again and again and release new pleasures every time. Nils Økland, the violinist and specialist of the Hardanger fiddle (whose extra resonating strings add a constant drone) has been making remarkable music between the borders of folk, jazz and contemporary composition/improvisation for years now. […] But this duo with the harmonium player Sigbjørn Apeland, with whom he grew up musically and has played with countless times, is something else. Over fourteen shortish pieces often derived from traditional singers in the folk tradition of western Norway (sometimes collected by Apeland himself), together with a few originals including music jointly composed for a film about the nineteenth century painter Lars Hertervig, the harmonium’s wheezing bellows and Økland’s keening fiddle conjure up an austere, hard won aesthetic of grounding drones and minimal, almost reluctant melodic filigree. […] Most importantly, this is an album whose emotional key remains fairly constant throughout, communicating a very ambient-friendly, meditative and rather melancholy atmosphere that, while not for the faint-hearted, is extraordinarily effective at setting up a musical mood. And when it finishes playing, you can just start again.
Phil Johnson, London Jazz News
Dies ist Musik von überwältigender Melancholie. Was, wie wir von Földényi wissen (oder, ganz anders und aggressiver, von Thomas Bernhard), nichts mit sentimentaler Selbstvergessenheit zu tun hat, viel aber mit einer verschärften Welterfahrung durch Verdunkelung; mit einer existenziellen und keineswegs gefühligen Trauer über den Zustand der Welt und das Los des Menschen und allen Lebens. Diese Musik ist so etwas wie Fado unterm Polarlicht.
Peter Rüedi, Weltwoche
Vor Jahren begaben sich Nils Okland mit seiner Hardangerfiedel und Violine sowie Sigbjorn Apeland mit Klavier und Harmonium auf die Insel Lysoen, um an den Komponisten Ole Bull zu erinnern. Jetzt erweitern sie das Feld, forschen nach alten Gesängen ihrer eigenen frühen Jahre, aus Nord-Rogaland und Sunnhordland, in abgelegenen Regionen West-Norwegens. ‘Glimmer’ ist der Titel von Cd und Lp, also, ‘Flimmern’, ‘Funken’ - fast verlorene Melodien werden vor dem Vergessen bewahrt. In die Musik von ‘Glimmer’ fliessen auch Stücke ein, die von Gemälden des Landschaftsmalers Lars Hertervig inspiriert sind. Im Umgang mit alten wie neuen Stoffen bleiben die Zwei äusserst erfinderisch.
Michael Engelbrecht, Deutschlandfunk
With its unhurried, slowly unfolding melodies and its general air of restrained contemplation, there’s a danger that this quietly exquisite collection of folk tunes and original compositions from Norwegian violinist Nils Økland and harmonium player Sigbjørn Apeland might end up merely as atmospheric, mood-setting background music. Which would be a huge shame, since it’s a collection that greatly rewards attentive listening, and reveals enormous variety within its admittedly somewhat limited sonic palette. There’s the remarkable purity and sincerity of Økland’s playing, for a start – with rich-toned violin improvisations around the achingly sad tune of opening track ‘Skynd deg, skynd deg’, for example, or the lithe ornamentation he brings to the subsequent ‘Gråt ikke søte pike’ or the later ‘O du min Immanuel’, complete with a halo of resonances from his Hardanger fiddle. […] interpretations that manage to sound both ancient and bang up to date. ECM’s close, warm recording feels like the ideal vehicle for this intimate, heartfelt conversation between friends – it’s playing that invites you to listen, unafraid to show its vulnerabilities and emotions, and is entirely captivating as a result.
David Kettle, The Strad
Mit ihrer betörenden Musik bleiben die beiden in ihrer Landschaft, für die sie in unorthodoxer, akustischer Instrumentenkombination ausgewogene Klangbilder voller Sentiment und besinnlicher Ruhe formulieren. Es werden unaufgeregt auch atonale Momente integriert, die das innere Strahlen der Töne steigern. Diese Musik wirft Anker in die Regionen der Kontemplation und wird zu einer umgreifenden Einladung zu Innenhalt und Besinnung, indem sie gleichermaßen visionär und archaisch ist.
Ulrich Steinmetzger, Jazzpodium
Die Musik changiert zwischen Schwere und Leichtigkeit, emotionaler Intimität und grenzenloser Weite und ist von zeitloser Schönheit. Obwohl das Harmonium äußerlich einem Klavier ähnelt, gilt es als Blasinstrument und erinnert mit seinem chorischen Klang und den rhythmischen Möglichkeiten an ein Akkordeon. Hardangerfiedel oder Geige steuern die elegischen Solostimmen bei, verspielte und erhabene Musik, die aus tiefer Vergangenheit in eine ungewisse Zukunft zu schweben scheint.
Jens-Uwe Sommerschuh, Sächsische Zeitung
Die beiden Musiker beeindrucken mit ihrer Virtuosität, aber noch mehr damit, dass sie ver- und bezaubern mit subtilen Klangmalereien, die ruhig dahinfliessend von äusseren Landschaften in ungeahnte innere führen.
Richard Butz, Jazz’n’more
A contemplative rubato mood prevails in distilled yet psychologically expansive pieces of gravely beautiful inwardness, yearning and reflection. Jazz it isn’t – but it would be a strange enthusiast of the music of, say, Jan Garbarek, Ketil Bjørnstad or Trygve Seim, Karl Seglem or Mette Henriette who would not want to spend some appreciable time with such exquisitely wrought aural poetry as is to be relished here.
Michael Tucker, Jazz Journal
Wehmütige Weisen stimmen angenehm melancholisch; zudem entsteht eine Klangwelt, die erdiges Flair mit poetischer Sanftheit mixt. Es sind auch Stücke dabei, die als Soundtrack zu einem Film über den Landschaftsmaler Lars Hertervig entstanden. Tatsächlich hat das Duo Soundtrackqualitäten. Die friedvollen Zwiegespräche lassen Töne tief durchatmen und eröffnen so akustische Assoziationsräume.
Ljubiša Tošić, Der Standard
