Lars Jakob Rudjord's Arpeggio

Seems like things have been quiet in Norway lately--only three new releases from 2L Recordings and nothing from personal favorites Lars Jakob Rudjord or Ingvild Koksvik in quite some time--until now. Lars has just released a new EP, Arpeggio, just in time to celebrate Nils Frahm's Piano Day 2019, a global celebration of that particular instrument. As Lars explained to me, Arpeggio is "a little more conceptual this time," with three versions of the same composition named "Warpeggio," "Harpeggio" and "Arpeggio." As you might imagine, all three variations are derived from the same basic structure, obviously an arpeggio. Lars takes this delicate, simple theme and does what he does best, creating a hypnotic study that highlights both his stunning Scandinavian influences and the inner workings of his piano.

The latter element is one of the things that draws me deep inside of Lars' recordings--I've never heard another pianist who is so generous in showing off the mechanics of his instrument. That means you not only hear the pedals and the soundboard and the sound of his fingers on the keys, but you can also hear the hesitant way his ideas pour out and the thoughts that occur in his head just milliseconds before the note is played. You can sense it in the way he phrases these patterns, the way he makes each pass slightly different than the last.

In other words, these are three variations of the same piece that flow together as one single evolving composition. On his last release, Indiepiano, Lars excelled at being both intimate and a little icy around the edges--I can't help but think of Norway when I hear his music. "There's a minimalism at work here, reminiscent of the '80s, where Lars keeps the main piano melodies slow and deliberate and pleasingly repetitive," I wrote in that review. "It's the quiet textures that he subsequently adds that really dig out the contrasts." While I feel that Arpeggio is representative of that work, and these three variations could have been included in that release without sounding out of place, there a new step here that Lars has taken.

It all comes down to introspection, a motif I hold close and dear to my heart. Sometimes I feel nervous in recommending Lars Jakob Rudjord's work to friends because it is so light and beautiful that the deeper layers aren't noticeable at first. Where this music perseveres is in the almost invisible connections that are made in your synapses, the complex emotions that emerge through the simple melodies. (His wife Ingvild is able to accomplish this as well.) There's no doubt that Lars creates music that is simply beautiful, but it's up to you to explore and discover the hidden treasures.

You can listen to Arpeggio via your favorite streaming platform, or by visiting his website.