The composer and pianist
Ola Gjeilo threads the needle, introducing rigor and detail into a crowd-pleasing minimal idiom. This release made classical best-seller lists in the autumn of 2023, and it may make a good place to begin with
Gjeilo's music for those who haven't heard it before. His music is easy enough on the ears that it can qualify for a "stress eliminator" playlist like that pioneered by a Dallas classical radio station some years ago, but it is differentiated enough to convey a good deal of pictorial and narrative imagery. The first extended piece,
The Road, depicts actual scenes from Norway, while the second,
the title work, is based on a Norwegian folktale. Both have texts by
Gjeilo's frequent collaborator,
Charles Anthony Silvestri, and a seamless meeting between text and music is one factor making this work so well. Another is that the piano in these recordings is
Gjeilo's own; there is a conductor,
Rupert Gough, for the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Choir of Royal Holloway, and the solo soprano, violin, and cello, but in a way,
Gjeilo himself is the conductor; the piano part holds the pieces together. (There are also smaller pieces, including one for
Gjeilo's solo piano and another, the gorgeous
Winter Light, for piano and solo cello.) Smooth performances are crucial here, and these musicians achieve it. Another critical element is suitably mystical sound from
Decca, recorded at the St.-Jude-on-the-Hill church in London.
Gjeilo's existing fans will eat this up, and it seems well on the way toward making him plenty of new ones. ~ James Manheim
