Christian Wallumrod Ensemble - Fabula Suite Lugano

Christian Wallumrod's is a unique musical voice, full of whimsical humour, strange pathos, grandeur and tenderness. This beautiful recording by his much-acclaimed sextet blends influences from baroque music, folk music, contemporary composition, Asian music, and jazz into a rigorously conceived and highly original group music meticulously composed by the Norwegian pianist.

The recording is a follow-up to the critically-lauded 'The Zoo is Far' (2007), of which the Irish Times wrote, Explicitly moving away from jazz with this sextet despite the presence of musicians with jazz backgrounds, including himself, Wallumr�d has reduced these elements to the peripheral, seeking, above all, a through-composed ensemble music that reflects his contacts with contemporary classical, baroque, Norwegian folk and church music. It's exquisitely performed; the permutating blend of trumpet-violin/Hardanger fiddle/viola-cello-baroque harp and piano or harmonium, with rhythm, is uniquely beautiful. The new album of this uniquely original group offers a suite of 18 sophisticated miniatures some of them based on music by Domenico Scarlatti and Jean-Baptiste Lully.

Personnel: Christian Wallumr�d (piano, harmonium, toy piano), Eivind L�nning (trumpet), Gjermund Larsen (violin, Hardanger fiddle, viola), Tanja Orning (cello), Giovanna Pessi (Baroque harp), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums, percussion, glockenspiel)