Terje Rypdal
If Mountains Could Sing

After the interlude of the two symphonies "Undisonus Ineo" and "Q. E. D.", Rypdal gives birth to this work halfway between jazz and experimentation. The technical aspect is, as always, excellent, featuring Bjorn Kjellemyr on bass and Audun Kleive on drums, already part of the Chaser, with the addition of a stunning string trio.

What strikes the listener in this work is the great mastery of Rypdal in composing pieces, not only with jazz-like metrics or mostly experimental as I mentioned earlier, but with a musical vision that now embraces the classical dimension. The album, more than any words, should be listened to in order to realize what a high-quality musician we are talking about; his guitar, incisive, hard, edgy, and then linear or ethereal, can transmit dreamy atmospheres. The recording is impeccable, and for those familiar with the '78 album "Wawes", they will pleasantly find the track "Private Eye", which reinterprets "Per Ulv" in a classical way (strings and guitar), in addition to the track "The Return Of Per Ulv" (pardon the play on words), which is absolutely fantastic.

In conclusion, I believe that for Rypdal, this is an album that serves as a watershed between previous (excellent) productions and subsequent ones, where a more contemporary orchestral symphonic dimension prevails. Given the latest effort "Lux Aeterna" (a tribute to Ligeti), he can definitely afford it.