METTE HENRIETTE
ECM 473 5212
o
Mette Henriette (saxophone); Johan Lundvall (piano); Katrine Schiøtt (violincello)
Ø
Mette Henriette (saxophone); Henrik Nørstebø (trombone); Eivind Lønning (trumpet); Sara Övinge, Karin Hellqvist, Odd Hannisdal (violin); Bendik Bjørnstad Foss (viola); Ingvild Nesdal Sandness, Katrine Schiøtt (violincello); Andreas Rokseth (bandoneon); Johan Lindvall (piano); Per Zanussi (bass); Per Oddvar Johansen (drums, saw)
Recorded 2013-2014
Quite simply, this is an astonishing debut from saxophonist, Matte Henriette Martedatter Rølvåg, a young musician that appears as if from nowhere and bringing with her a sound and concept that is individual, fresh and fully formed. What could be perceived as an audacious move in releasing a double album of original material as a debut, is more than fully justified in a programme that is absorbing, brimful of imagination, and most importantly engages both heart and head with the emotional and intellectual content of the music.
Mette Henriette has divided the musical landscape into two separate yet distinctive halves by devoting the first disc, subtitled o, to a trio featuring not the usual bass and drums (as one might immediately expect), but piano and cello; and the larger thirteen strong ensemble are heard on disc two, Ø. The music can and perhaps should be heard as two separate entities, but after listening to the album a couple of times it becomes apparent hwo Mette has been able to develop ideas that can intertwined or exchanged to suite both trio and the bigger band, stripping down to the bare minimum, or maximising the concept of the composition with addition of more instruments into the tonal palette.
Whilst the saxophonist has spent much of her musical life playing free music, a fantastic way to learn the mechanics and technicalities of your instrument and the sounds can be produced, she has brought this mode of music making into her writing for both ensembles in that whilst much of it is through composed it retains a feeling of spontaneity that blurs the boundaries between the written parts and improvisation.
Her work with the trio on o retains a chamber music feel, with a lithe and supple ensemble that is acutely attuned to each other and the compositions. The fifteen individual pieces that make up this first disc are nearly all played sotto voce, with the gentle and subtle variations inn dynamics all the more poignant for it, with Mette's softly articulated multiphonics most effective. The beauty of the music is often felt as well as heard ith the delicate nature of the music, the ethereal 'once' and the all too fleeting lyricism of '3-4-5' faint beacons of light within the sparseness sound of the trio.
The larger ensemble on disc two invariably widens the dynamic and tonal spectrum, with Mette's harsher tone and edgier phrasing much in evidence on 'wildheart', the anguished cry of 'I', and in the bravado and swagger that is 'late à la carte'. The opposite end of the spectrum is heard in the hauntingly and softly spoken melodies that are 'passé' and 'but we did'; and the fragile beauty of 'breathe'.
It is testament to the quality of the writing that the 13 piece ensemble move through the music as one, leaving the saxophonist free to add her lines on top or deep within the collective sound. Running in at just under the sixty minute mark and working through twenty compositions, many of which are minimalist and all to brief in duration, it is remarkable how they still seem complete and yet leave the listener wanting more with expectancy and anticipation hanging in the air as the final notes dissipate into the atmosphere.
In summary this is an album to savour, and I for one will be following Mette Henriette's career with great interest.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 473 5212
o
Mette Henriette (saxophone); Johan Lundvall (piano); Katrine Schiøtt (violincello)
Ø
Mette Henriette (saxophone); Henrik Nørstebø (trombone); Eivind Lønning (trumpet); Sara Övinge, Karin Hellqvist, Odd Hannisdal (violin); Bendik Bjørnstad Foss (viola); Ingvild Nesdal Sandness, Katrine Schiøtt (violincello); Andreas Rokseth (bandoneon); Johan Lindvall (piano); Per Zanussi (bass); Per Oddvar Johansen (drums, saw)
Recorded 2013-2014
Quite simply, this is an astonishing debut from saxophonist, Matte Henriette Martedatter Rølvåg, a young musician that appears as if from nowhere and bringing with her a sound and concept that is individual, fresh and fully formed. What could be perceived as an audacious move in releasing a double album of original material as a debut, is more than fully justified in a programme that is absorbing, brimful of imagination, and most importantly engages both heart and head with the emotional and intellectual content of the music.
Mette Henriette has divided the musical landscape into two separate yet distinctive halves by devoting the first disc, subtitled o, to a trio featuring not the usual bass and drums (as one might immediately expect), but piano and cello; and the larger thirteen strong ensemble are heard on disc two, Ø. The music can and perhaps should be heard as two separate entities, but after listening to the album a couple of times it becomes apparent hwo Mette has been able to develop ideas that can intertwined or exchanged to suite both trio and the bigger band, stripping down to the bare minimum, or maximising the concept of the composition with addition of more instruments into the tonal palette.
Whilst the saxophonist has spent much of her musical life playing free music, a fantastic way to learn the mechanics and technicalities of your instrument and the sounds can be produced, she has brought this mode of music making into her writing for both ensembles in that whilst much of it is through composed it retains a feeling of spontaneity that blurs the boundaries between the written parts and improvisation.
Her work with the trio on o retains a chamber music feel, with a lithe and supple ensemble that is acutely attuned to each other and the compositions. The fifteen individual pieces that make up this first disc are nearly all played sotto voce, with the gentle and subtle variations inn dynamics all the more poignant for it, with Mette's softly articulated multiphonics most effective. The beauty of the music is often felt as well as heard ith the delicate nature of the music, the ethereal 'once' and the all too fleeting lyricism of '3-4-5' faint beacons of light within the sparseness sound of the trio.
The larger ensemble on disc two invariably widens the dynamic and tonal spectrum, with Mette's harsher tone and edgier phrasing much in evidence on 'wildheart', the anguished cry of 'I', and in the bravado and swagger that is 'late à la carte'. The opposite end of the spectrum is heard in the hauntingly and softly spoken melodies that are 'passé' and 'but we did'; and the fragile beauty of 'breathe'.
It is testament to the quality of the writing that the 13 piece ensemble move through the music as one, leaving the saxophonist free to add her lines on top or deep within the collective sound. Running in at just under the sixty minute mark and working through twenty compositions, many of which are minimalist and all to brief in duration, it is remarkable how they still seem complete and yet leave the listener wanting more with expectancy and anticipation hanging in the air as the final notes dissipate into the atmosphere.
In summary this is an album to savour, and I for one will be following Mette Henriette's career with great interest.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
