Album Review/ Classical : Ståle Kleiberg’s ‘Across the ocean towards higher firmament’
Ståle Kleiberg is a Norwegian composer of international acclaim and many Grammy nominations. The artist is a master. He explores and experiments for his expression. Despite being acclaimed in the field of classical musical styles like oratorio and opera,he doesn’t let its strict boundaries restrict him. He operates in the free world, incorporating such incredible musical styles and influences.
You can clearly see in his latest release, ‘Across the ocean towards higher firmament’. Much like the title suggests, his music has a lot of cerebral planes and potential. Blending those with new musical variance and dimensions, he seems to forge his own path.
The track ‘Lamento - Cissi Klein in memoriam’ opens the collection. It’s a song that reveals the feeling of grief and loss, scene by scene. The instrumentals, like actors, hold such a powerful space. The expression is so nuanced, and more notably, they pierce through and awaken those spaces within our own bodies. Swirling in and out of cinematic spaces, the composition is like a free river. So many layers, so many sensibilities and musical sensations, all working towards a building musical scale.
‘The Town and its People’ also set the scene much like its predecessor. It sets the tone, the context, the archaic atmospheres. There’s a flute breeze circling the town, gathering the general ambience. From there the artist builds the sky, the action, the interactions, the transitioning atmosphere. It’s like the listener has detailed the song extensively like a painter does his work. So many intricacies revealed that it takes you back to your own daily life, to find those momentous scenes and feelings. As you go on listening, there’s also a feeling that you’ve sunk into this world, into this town and become one of its people. It’s intimate because the artist reveals the essence of the place.
The composition, ‘Across the Ocean towards a higher firmament’ is presented in three parts. A globe of compositional energy that is explored in so many musical styles and forms. Like a saga, they are elaborate and long, stretching out. With smaller stories stringing into a garland of larger and bigger stories. There’s a lot of dramatic and performative allure that just spreads across the scene. The best part about it is how much is left up to the listener to interpret and enjoy the way it rings true to them. The beauty of it is in the journey, in the continuing pursuit of the tale. Not just that, the musical work is seamless, smooth. All the instrumentals seem to all be in the same plane. Every part of them. It’s such a high form of creative discipline that it’s meditative to watch and experience. To absorb. These musical sagas details the human experience both in lofty and liminal ways, revealing so much in the process. Listen Now!
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The track is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music!
You can listen to ‘Across the Ocean towards a higher firmament’ by Ståle Kleiberg here -
