MUSIC & REVIEWS
ALONE
Alene/Alone
Alone has become a state of being for me. A state of being that is now familiar and almost constant.
Alone came without warning. Our modern and invulnerableseeming society was upturned overnight. An abrupt change, and we could no longer go where we pleased. We had to go our separate ways. Alone.
The Norwegian Prime Minister compared it to the April Days of 1940. The streets were empty, without people. We were alone.
We are experiencing a time of global reckoning, which will soon be both before and after. Absurd, and at the same time, the realization that I had never imagined this! The margins that can redefine freedom, and our obvious management of it…
Uncertainty and fear. Not just for the pandemic, but for our modern lives. The fear of life as we know it, safe and predictable. Will that life ever come back? Realizing our actual vulnerability.
Alone made me feel the timelessness of the music stronger than ever before. Chase the music, challenge my abilities, and push new boundaries.
Alone is also timeless and like music, the moment of its existence cannot be captured. Their shared volatile nature, there and then – each in its time and place. Unique in every person’s mind, sometimes different in the same person’s mind. Perhaps this is where the fascination lies?
Is this what I am looking for as a musician? The volatility I am trying to capture, wants to soundproof.
By meeting the unknown, facing our fears and our joys, our willingness to gamble against our desire for safety, you learn more about your inner most self. A sense of absolute intimacy exists in and is demanded by both music and loneliness.
If you want to get to that deeply personal space, you must have courage and strength. Alone is so much more than playing solo.
We have made an honest and credible record. Alone is the result of the need to be creative in a troubled time. A performer and a producer. Two people in four sessions through eight very different musical works
REVIEWS OF THE ALBUM
Alone
Illevold proves to be a superb virtuoso. Perhaps she has placed the runs in a way that suits her instrument, but it is nonetheless impressive how she can fly from high to low, and back to high, with all sorts of different antics, depending on what the variations require. At the same time, Illevold constantly maintains direction in the complicated runs, and the movement becomes rich in contrasts through the fact that she is sometimes allowed to stop the virtuosity in favor of calm, singable and melodic meditations. Illevold thus ends the record with his unique way of shaping the euphonium sound as a song, and when it sounds like this, I can easily listen to several records of solo music for the euphonium.
Magnus Andersson, musikkritikk.no https://www.musikkritikk.no/eufonium-illevold-alene/
An entire recording with only solo euphonium! This album probably has a rather narrow catchment area, but Bente Illevolds Alene has something timeless and meditative about it that makes it an exciting release. Illevold, who stands out as an exceptional virtuoso on the instrument.
Ola Nordal, Ballade.no https://www.ballade.no/kunstmusikk/balladeklassiskl/
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Solo euphonium. Taste the word. A bit unfamiliar perhaps? Well, the euphonium is an instrument with an exceptionally beautiful sound. Bente Illevold also has the ability, via this instrument, to have a personality in her interpretations that are exceptionally nice to listen to.
Trond Eriksson, den klassiske musikkbloggen https://klassiskcd.blogspot.com/2021/12/alene-en-solistisk-kommentar.html
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"Alone" is an outstanding euphonium album and I recommend it highly. On the whole album Bente Illevold shows a fine, rich euphonium sound and displays excellent control and agility. Combined with her inherent musicality, the result is excellent!
David Werden, euphoniumist http://www.dwerden.com/forum/entry.php/816-Review-Bente-Illevold-Album-quot-Alone-quot-(Norwegian-quot-Alene-quot-)#.YdqW5P7MJD8
SOUNDS FROM THE DEEP FORESTS
Klangen fra de dype skoger / The sound from the deep forests
From the vast mountain ranges of Røros in the North to Mjøsen's flat farmland in the South, extends a mighty mountain-driven current from Norway's largest river, the Glommen. It is Østerdalen (…) right next to Glomdalen, only separated by a mile wide keel, extending from the southeastern slopes of Trondfjeld and all the way to Aamot, the easternmost and deepest of the Østerdalen mountain clefts, 75 miles long, pervaded first by Tysla's and then by Rena's stream, which reunites with the Glommen at Aamot. It is the stunning valley of Tyldalen and Rendalen, the oldest, most fertile and most beautiful farming society in northern Østerdalen.
JB Bull (1916)
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Sounds from the deep forests is the sound of a human being who does not separate their identity from their music. It is a sound rooted in a simple upbringing with good values, in a society where time stands still… where, as a child, one can be one with nature and culture hour after hour - completely undisturbed.
Sounds from the deep forests is the sound of a divided human being, in the face of academic norms and demands, whose natural and spontaneous musicality drowns in the correct and restrained expression of the classical world.
Sounds from the deep forests is the sound of a human being rising again, where creativity, will, and faith win in the end, where identity and music are one, while the trivial instrumental barriers are breached and the boundaries only face resistance in their own boldness.
Sounds from the deep forests is musician Bente Illevold's idea of expressing her own life, rooted in tradition, identity, and artistic innovation. Five composers have been challenged to channel the natural beauty and musical traditions of Rendalen, together with the seemingly mellow and measured character traits of Østerdalen, through new compositions for euphonium. The project contains, as of 2019, seven works, where the two largest are preserved on this recording.
REVIEWS OF THE ALBUM
The sound of the deep forests
5/6
"It is fantastically well performed and the two works form a rather appealing pair, rooted in Norwegian folk music, but developed in different directions."
"Bente Illevold and Anders Kregnes Hansen play with an almost symbiotic understanding and make this a surprisingly relaxed and pleasant experience."
Guy Rickards - Klassiskmusikk.com https://www.klassiskmusikk.com/cd- reviews/ klangen-fra-de-dype-skoger/
5/6
"Here we really get to experience how good Illevold's performance on the instrument is. Her sound is fantastic and not least the interaction with the percussionist Anders Kregnes Hansen is incredibly good."
Trond Erikson - The classical music blog https://klassiskcd.blogspot.com/2020/04/den-vakre-melankolske-klangen.html
“Expression should come from our heart and head, regardless of the difficulty level of the printed page. Bente proves that point. She sails / dances through these pieces with a lovely tone at all times and with just the right expression. ”
David Werden - Dwerden.com http://www.dwerden.com/forum/entry.php/810-New-CD-from-Bente-Illevold#.YOFY8egzaUk