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MUSICIAN
July 2011: KB completes Soloppgang
(Sunrise), a cantata written on the texts by Edvard Munch for
Nordstrand Musikkselskaps Kor, conducted by Egil Fossum. The
cantata will be performed at Universitetets Aula, Oslo, Saturday
12 November 2011, with Kari Bremnes (vocal), Aage Kvalbein
(cello), Matias Bjørnstad (sax) and Bjørn Kjellemyr (double
bass).
May 2011: KBs three solo recitals at the
Spoleto Festival in U.S. is a huge success.
In Charleston City Newspaper T.
Ballard Lesemann writes that KB gives the piano ”a special sonic
treatment”, also writing that his technique was terrific, and
“at times, it sounded like three pianists playing
simultaneously”. The critic also praised the “gorgeous, refined
moments of tenderness”. In The Post And Courier, Jack
McCray writes that KB kept the “growing tradition” after Dave
Brubeck and Horace Silver, a.o., intact: “His execution was
flawless. He created moods that were at once delightful and
profound.” He compared KB with Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and
Charles Lloyd, “bringing fresh treatments to classic
structures”.
Spring/Summer
2011: KB on tour: Engø Gård 8 April (solo piano), Lyngør Fyr 7
May (solo piano), Mai-Jazz Stavanger 13 May (with Tore Brunborg
& Jon Christensen), Spoleto Festival, Charleston, USA 29-31 May
(solo piano), Lørenskog kulturhus 3 June & Junikveld
Børli/Eidskog 5 June (both with Lill Lindfors), Sunndal 21 June
(with Terje Rypdal & Ole Paus), Elba, Italy 7 July (with Svante
Henryson), Skåtøy 14 July & Engø 17 July (both with Kari
Bremnes), The Barony Rosendal 29 July (with Ole Paus).
April 2011: At last KB’s praised and very
much demanded solo albums from the eighties, Preludes I & II
and Pianology are once again becoming available on Hubro
Records on the double CD Early Piano Music.
April 2011: KB and Svante Henryson’s Night
Song gets an excellent review in All About Jazz by
John Kelman. He writes that “The ease with which Franz Schubert
created a substantive body of work that still rings true nearly
two centuries after the Austrian composer’s death at the age of
31, is the stuff of legends, and while it might be hubris to
suggest, at this point, that Ketil Bjørnstad will be remembered
the same way, the Norwegian pianist’s career certainly bears
comparison in its seemingly effortless prolificacy.” Kelman also
writes that the album is “defined by stark simplicity.”
Bjørnstad’s “touch has never been more delicate or assured,” and
he concludes that “both Night Song and Remembrance
stand as career highlights amongst his extensive discography.”
January 2011: The ECM album “Night Song”,
with Svante Henryson, receives glowing reviews in the Nordic
press. In the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter Martin
Nyström compares the music with a Franz Schubert sonata, and in
his opinion the music also has “an intriguingly close connection
with Nordic folk music”. In Dagbladet Terje Mosnes writes
that “the music is so sonorously and beautifully executed that
it acquires a sort of timelessness, rising above changing ideals
of style and genre. Quite simply superb music and sublime
playing.” Tor Hammerø writes in Nettavisen that “the
collaboration of Svante Henryson and Ketil Bjørnstad was one of
last year’s top festival experiences. Now the rest of the world
will be able to enjoy it, too.” According to Adresseavisen’s
Trygve Lundemo, “Bjørnstad’s piano and Henryson’s cello together
are greater than the sum of their parts.” And in Vårt Land,
Bjørn Olav Nordahl writes that “Night Song is at times radiantly
beautiful.”
May 2011: KB
gives 3 solo-concerts at the American Spoleto Festival in
Charleston, South Carolina, 29-30 May. (Cathedral church of St.
Luke and St. Paul.)
Winter/Spring
2011: KB on tour: Kalkmølla, Bærum 10 February (with Jon
Christensen and Tore Brunborg), Haugesund 11 February (with Kari
Bremnes), Kolbotn (Kolben) 29 March and Hov i Land 30 March (both
with Kari Bremnes).
January 2011:
Night Song with Svante Henryson released worldwide by ECM. KB
and Henryson will give a concert at Liljevalchs Konsthall in
Stockholm 7 March.
January 2011:
KB visits the Hay Cartagena Festival in Colombia Saturday 29
January (solo piano and author-interview).
November/December
2010: KB on tour: Berlin 3 November (Lesung). Oberursel 4
November (Lesung with Moritz Stoepel). Fürth 6 November (Lesung).
Nittedal 21 November (solo piano), Hamar 2 December (solo
piano). Vilnius 14 December (solo piano).
Autumn 2010: KB on tour: Berlin 6 September
(presenting the German version of Damen i Dalen – Die Frau im
Tal). Nordhausen 7 September (Lesung), Köln 8 September
(solo piano. St. Mauritius Kirche). Sortland 15, Lørenskog 16,
Ørsta 17 Stryn 18 and Sandvika 25 September (all with Lill
Lindfors.) Tønsberg 25 September (Lecture about Oda Krohg).
Madrid 27 September (presenting the Spanish version of To
Music). Kvinesdal 29 September (solo piano). Frankfurt
Book-Fair, 6-8 October (presenting Die Frau im Tal).
Eidsvoll 16. October (solo piano). Moster 24 October (solo
piano). Notodden 26 October (solo piano). Neuwied 29 October
(solo Piano).
July 2010: KB and his powerful ensemble (Shepard,
Lechner, Mazur, Aarset, Andersen) got standing ovations after
their performance of The Antonioni Project at Molde Int.
Jazzfestival. The reviews gave unison praise to the musicians,
and in a huge and detailed review in All About Jazz,
John Kelman wrote about “the feeling of having been there
... in this very specific place, at this very particular point
in time.” The concert was recorded for ECM, and Kelman wrote
that the recording “will, no doubt, be a terrific one – perhaps,
even, the best recording of Bjørnstad’s career.”
July 2010: John Kelman from All About Jazz
visits Norway’s most famous jazz-festivals, and after KB and
Svante Henryson’s concert at Kongsberg Jazzfestival, where the
duo for the first time presented music from their upcoming
Night Song-album (ECM, January 2011), he wrote that it was
“a show that was largely gentle, occationally majestic and
always elegant ... Nearing 60, Bjørnstad continues at a pace
that would put many younger musicians to shame ... Henryson’s
understated passion created a dramatic undercurrent to Bjørnstad
that made their performance a trancendent experience.”
Summer 2010: Unison praise for Remembrance
in German, French, Italian, English and Canadian magazines and
newspapers. In Jazzpodium, Heribert Ickerott writes that
it is “klang- und formschönen Jazz-Kammermusik". In Daily
Express, Chris Pearson writes that the album is “exquisite,
intriguing and, in its quiet way, life-affirming,” In The
Irish Times, Ray Comiskey concludes that “it’s all
undeniably lovely ... It takes class musicians to bring off the
artful simplicity of this sumptuously melodic album.” And in
Jazz Journal, Michael Tucker writes: “Sometimes an album
comes along that simply – really – stops you in your tracks,
that demands your attention time and time again ... Many thank’s
gentlemen.” In Jazzwise, Stuart Nicholson writes that “it
is an absorbing musical journey.” And in All About Jazz,
Dan McClenaghan compares the album to Paul Motian’s Lost in a
Dream, and writes that Remembrance is “cool,
spacious, unhurried, unfailingly lovely.”
April
2010: KBs new ECM-recording Remembrance, with drummer Jon
Christensen and saxophone-player Tore Brunborg gets very good
reviews in Scandinavian newspapers. In Sweedish Dagens Nyheter,
Johannes Cornell writes that the music has “a poetic closeness
to nature” and gives much praise to the trio. In Dagbladet,
Terje Mosnes gives the album top score and writes that the album
could become a classic, and in Dagens Næringsliv, Per A. Risnes
jr. compares Ketil Bjørnstad with Arvo Pärth, and writes that
the music has a timeless quality.
Spring 2010: KB works on The
Antonioni-project, a commissioned work for the Molde
International Festival, in collaboration with Manfred Eicher.
ECM has earlier released albums connected to Tarkovsky and
Pasolini. KB will perform the music together with Andy Sheppard
(sax), Eivind Aarset (guitars), Anja Lechner (cello), Arild
Andersen (bass) and Marilyn Mazur (percussion) the 21 July 2010.
Christmas 2009: The producer Manfred Eicher edits KB’s new album
Remembrance (ECM) in Rainbow Studio. The album is
recorded together with the drummer Jon Christensen and the
saxophone player Tore Brunborg, and will be released worldwide
in spring 2010. The album Night Song (ECM) with the
Swedish cello player Svante Henryson will be released in
September 2010.
December 2009: Lars Müller Publishers (Switzerland) release
Windfall Light – The Visual Language of ECM. KB contributes
with his essay about ECM, Manfred Eicher and his cd covers:
Landscapes and Soundscapes.
19 September 2009: Det Norske Teatret, Scene 2. ”Ikkje lenger enn
min kjærleik rekk”.
The Norwegian actor Jon Eikemo celebrates his 70th anniversary
with a new play about the Norwegian author and journalist Per
Sivle, written by Ola E. Bø/Jon Eikemo. KB has written the music
to the play. The Russian pianist Olga Konkova will perform the
music live on stage.
Summer 2009: KB gives an outdoor-concert in Kragerø 2
July, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Edvard Munch's
arrival to the city in 1909, after his mental breakdown in 1908.
The concert was the city’s gift to its inhabitants. KB also
gives a solo piano concert at Baroniet Rosendal on 10 July, and
in Moss (with Lill Lindfors) on 14 August.
28 June 2009 “Hvalenes Sang” (“Song of the Whales”) is
performed at Oseberg Kulturhus, Tønsberg. Svein-Erik Tandberg
writes in Tønsberg Blad: ‘The Song of the Whales’ – an
engrossing oratorio in the style of a ballad … a powerful
musical and rhetorical testimonial to the complexity of life and
the human mind. This is an intriguing work of documentation,
featuring richly contrasting sound colours, uncomplicated
narrative, heartfelt poetry and visual impressions. An extremely
original interaction of brutality, nature mysticism and
Christian piety. At the core is Ketil Bjørnstad’s unique ability
to create beautiful melodies, and here he offers a wealth of
these. We predict that several of the melodies in this work will
live independent lives in the future, beyond the framework of
the piece as a whole. Here there are gems in abundance.”
In
January 2009, KB will record a new album for ECM together with
Svante Henryson. Manfred Eicher is the producer and the
duo-album has an expected release late Fall 2009 or winter
2009/2010.
January 2009
excerpts from Bjørnstad's 3CD solo-piano set Rainbow Sessions
is released by Universal Music.
October 2008
“The Light – Songs Of Love And Fair” (ECM) gets critical acclaim
both in Norway, Great Britain and in Germany. In the issue of
Gramophone, Richard Whitehouse writes: “Ketil Bjørnstad has
followed a distinctive creative course from classical piano
prodigy to jazz pianist and sui generis composer, while
not forgetting his success as a poet, lyricist and novelist.
They are attributes that puts one in mind of a latter-day
Leonard Cohen, and the song-cycles on this disc are redolent of
the Canadian master in their fastidious alignment between words
and music … listening of the deepest, most thought-provoking
kind.” In Jazzwise, Stuart Nicholson writes that “Bjørnstad
creates an album of wonderfully understated passions … Once
again his melodies allow the voice to invest each word with
rich, personal meaning in an album that, like so much of
Bjørnstad’s work, can not be easily set aside.” Ray Comiskey of
Irish Times writes that the album is “gorgeous”, and in
Norwegian DN, Trond Jensen compares the music of KB with Gorecki
and writes: “Always beautiful. And, at the same time,
reliefingly abstract.”
Together with the Swedish cello-player Svante Henryson, KB is
expected to record a new album for ECM in January 2009. The two
musicians worked together on KBs “Seafarer’s Song” (Universal
2004) and have also given a recital at the Bath Festival.
24 November 2008
The live-recording of “Coastlines” with Lill Lindfors (Canal
Street, Arendal 2007) will be released on Grappa (Norwegian ECM-distributors).
A one-cd excerpt of KBs tripple-album “Rainbow Sessions” will be
released by EmArcy/Universal in 2009. The limited edition of the
tripple-box is sold out.
EmArcy label in November 2006. The soundtrack is
Life in Leipzig (KB and Terje Rypdal) and is very well received,
getting 5 stars in many major newspapers. Mode Steinkjær in
Dagsavisen calls the recording a "first-rate" album,
"challenging, exciting, playful and sincere." Dagbladet’s Terje
Mosnes calls Terje Rypdal and KB "two of the most characteristic
voices in contemporary music".
He also writes that the concert-cd is "one of the most ecstatic
celebrations of melody and inspired romantic expressiveness ever
made." In Bergens Tidende, Hanne Farestvedt writes: "Intensely
beautiful".
May 2008
The album "The Light - Songs of Love and Fear", with KB, Randi
Stene and Lars Anders Tomter, was released by ECM. The album is
produced by Manfred Eicher.
February/March 2008
ECM released a live-recording from Leipziger Jazztage 2005. KB
plays together with guitarist Terje Rypdal.
KB’s album "Devotions" (EmArcy) was very well received in
European newspapers and jazz-magazines. Rolf Thomas in German
Jazzthetic says it is a timeless album where everything is in
tune. Terje Mosnes in Norwegian Dagbladet gives it 5 stars and
calls it "a tribute to the melodic narration" and Olav Gorseth
in Bergens Tidende also giving it 5 stars, calling it "elegant,
melodic and poetic jazz".
February 2007
Ketil Bjørnstad recorded "The Light" (texts by John Donne) and
"Four Nordic Songs" (texts by KB), written by KB for Randi Stene
(mezzo soprano) and Lars Anders Tomter (viola) in Rainbow
Studio. The trio's first album together with "The Shadow” was a
big success on the KKV-label in 1990.
The triple-album "Rainbow Sessions", where KB plays solo piano,
was sold out immediately after the limited release of the box
set in January/February 2007, and got excellent reviews from
many countries. In Norway, jazz-critics Terje Mosnes (Dagbladet)
and Tor Hammerø (Nettavisen) both gave it 5 stars, together with
a very enthusiastic review by Johan Hauknes in the Norwegian
Jazznytt-magazine, comparing KB's music with Erik Satie. A
1-cd-version of the sessions is considered.
Ketil Bjørnstad’s new EmArcy-album "Devotions" was recorded in
Rainbow Studio in January 2007, with Wolfgang Puschnig on sax,
clarinet and flutes, Arild Andersen on double bass, Alex Riel on
drums and KB on piano. The album was released in 2007, starting
with Italy, Austria and the Netherlands in the spring, and
Germany, England, Norway, Asia, etc in the fall. The quartet
will perform at the North Sea festival in Rotterdam 14 July 2007
Ketil Bjørnstad’s triple-cd-box Rainbow Sessions is
released by Universal as a tribute to the Rainbow Studio in Oslo
and is also Bjørnstad’s first solo piano-recording since The
Rosenborg Tapes from 1998.
Autumn 2006
The sountrack to the film S@motnosc W Sieci, with music
by Bugge Wesseltoft and Ketil Bjørnstad, has been several weeks
at the top 10-chart in Poland.
Ketil Bjørnstad has delivered most of the music to Witold
Adameks film Loneliness In the Net (S@motnosc w Sieci)
based on the bestseller by Janusza L. Wisniewskiego. On the
soundtrack-cd from the film (Universal Music), he appeared
together with Bugge Wesseltoft.
3 March 2006
Ketil Bjørnstad's youth opera IZZAT had it's premiere at
Den norske Opera (The Norwegian Opera). The libretto is written
by the Norwegian poet Gro Dahle. All musical arrangements by
Svein Dag Hauge (LAVA). Director: Terje Hartvigsen.
2005
Ketil Bjørnstad is getting excellent reviews for his trio-album
FLOATING. Mojo calls it “a beauty” . Jazzwise
says it is one of KB’s best albums ever. Adresseavisen
calls it the best cd of the year.
September 2005
KETIL BJØRNSTADs latest recording FLOATING was released on
EmArcy (Universal) 12 September in Norway, and later this autumn
in other countries - featuring Palle Danielsson on double bass
and Marilyn Mazur on drums & percussion. He was touring in
Norway in September 2005 - Sortland 15, Trondheim 16 and Oslo 17
Alex Riel will play instead of Marilyn Mazur on that tour.
February 2005
KETIL BJØRNSTADs album "Before The Light" (November Music,
Taiwan) was re-released by EmArcy/Universal
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