The first three tracks on the album are improvisations over three of my own choral works Ubi Caritas, Tota Pulchra Es and Prelude. I would semi-improvise the first and primary piano track around those ideas, and then improvise the second and third takes on top of that, overdubbing myself while hearing the other layer(s) in headphones. Other tracks (mainly the pieces involving two or three pianos) including Seven Eight, Nebraska, and Cloudless, were based on earlier ideas or themes of mine.

Bach, even though I hadn’t planned it that way beforehand. Bach Fantasy was also an improvisation, but in this case it had an obvious link to a very well-known piece by J.S. Some of the tracks, such as Meribel, Susanne, Dark Blue, Santa Monica, The Lake, Light Blue, The Great Plains, The Biltmore Shrine, Little Rock, Chorale, and Heart To Heart were completely free improvisations recorded in one take.

As a pianist, improvisation is where my heart is. While my first piano album on the 2L record label, Stone Rose (2007) was all pre-composed or outlined, I wanted this 2012 sequel to be completely spontaneous. Piano Technician: Thron Irby, Steinway D-modelĮxecutive Producers: Jørn Simenstad and Morten Lindberg Recording Technician: Beatrice Johannessen Recording Producer and Balance Engineer: Morten Lindberg As a pianist, free improvisation is where my heart is.” - Ola Gjeilo, 2012.Įvocative, lyrical music for 1, 2 & 3 pianos, improvised and performed by Ola Gjeilo, including fantasies around three of his choral works Ubi Caritas, Tota Pulchra Es and Prelude. “While my first piano album Stone Rose was all pre-composed or outlined, I wanted this sequel to be completely spontaneous. We moved the piano between each take, eventually constituting a triangle, and the listener is sitting in the middle in a surround system setup. Producer Morten Lindberg suggested recording a few tracks where I would play layers of two or three pianos, which I thought was a great way to really exploit the surround sound potential on a solo album. Recordings of the original choral versions can be found on Phoenix Chorale's 2012 album, Northern Lights (Chandos Records).

While my first piano album on the 2L record label, Stone Rose (2007), was all pre-composed or outlined, I wanted this 2012 sequel to be completely spontaneous.Īlthough many of the pieces on this album are free improvisations recorded in one take, the first three tracks are fantasies around three of my own choral works Ubi Caritas, Tota Pulchra Es and Prelude.

Northern lights ola gjeilo translation