TRACK PREMIERE : Ole-Bjørn Talstad - Utsikt by Headphone Commute

published on 2023-02-22T06:16:38Z

TRACK PREMIERE : Ole-Bjørn Talstad - Utsikt Sometimes the universe has its way of reminding you of what’s important in life. You get caught up in all your bullshit, and then, one morning, you wake up and suddenly hit that point which truly makes you take a step back, look around, and reassess everything you have been “building” up until this moment. That nagging, stressful, and upsetting thing right over there? Well, that can wait. Perhaps you’ll get to it another day. And if not, well, it will still be there. But for now, you can give yourself permission just to breathe. In and out. Ah… That’s so much better. Thankfully for me, I have this thing that I call music, which I can turn to for an hour every morning and spend some time, like with a friend. And in the end, this post with words that you are reading right now is just my way of sharing those precious single moments with you, when we can simply breathe. Today I am spending sharing my time in the company of a Norwegian composer and pianist, Ole-Bjørn Talstad, who just got signed to the beloved Moderna for his debut, titled Ferd. The album collects eight miniature solo piano pieces that add up to just a bit over 19 minutes in length, and their elegant, intimate, and emotional narrative truly resonates with every cell of my being. As I do with most solo piano compositions, I listen to them in my headphones. This somehow transports me to my own recording sessions in front of an upright piano and close-placed microphones next to the hammers, slightly caressing the strings through the felt. Suddenly, just as I felt with one of my favourite records by Otto A. Totland, it’s as if I’m playing this music myself. I’m hearing the music the way Talstad is hearing it. One simple note at a time. And in between the keys, in all of their ease and purity, is where I find my peace. I hope that you will find yours too.