(2021) Jacob David - Mursejler


Review:
Danish pianist Jacob David‘s sophomore release presents twelve heartfelt expressions voiced with his customary felted piano. Five years have passed since his debut Omkuld, and since then David’s refined his music and brought it to an even higher level of sophistication and nuance. Violist Sofia Kongsgaard Lang and cellist Line Felding guest on “Mormor,” but otherwise the twelve pieces present the pianist alone, and the music is naturally all the more intimate for doing so. All twelve pieces are David originals too, though co-composing credits are shared in three cases with Søren Tarding (“Lillian”), Morten Bredal (“Undervejs”), and Thomas Haahr (“Flagra”,“Undervejs”). David expands on the natural soundworld of the piano by weaving near-subliminal electronic textures into the arrangements and by enhancing atmosphere through subtle production techniques. A general approach declares itself as the recording advances, with David typically combining single-note melodic patterns with a grounding base of lilting triplets or otherwise. The opening “Styrhus,” for example, induces entrancement by having its hushed lullaby melodies intone against an enveloping backdrop that includes glass harmonica-like timbres. Even lovelier is “Snefri,” in which the most stripped-down of melodies elegantly floats above an insistent pitter-pattering rhythm. Whereas the nostalgic yearning exuded by “Lillian” calls Chopin to mind, the inclusion of strings in “Mormor” both amplifies the classical side of David’s music and its inclination to melancholy; note also the artistry with which string textures are incorporated into “Altid aldrig” to heighten its drama and poignancy. At album’s end, “Undervejs” seemingly opens its windows to let traces of the outside world in, the move perhaps intended to signify the resilience of the human spirit as it anticipates the hopeful return of the world we once knew. Throughout the thirty-six-minute collection, David’s material is so achingly beautiful, it truly does make resistance futile. Dip into the first track and you’ll likely find yourself held hostage by it and the eleven that follow. — Textura





Track Listing:
1.Styrhus 03:19
2.Snefri 03:43
3.Lillian 02:07
4.Mursejler 02:58
5.Krypa 02:36
6.Mormor 03:50
7.Flagra 02:25
8.Dagsky 02:45
9.Altid aldrig 04:09
10.Legetøj 01:56
11.Opsang 01:35
12.Undervejs 04:06


Media Report:
Genre: ambient, classical
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits