NEW RECORDING: MOONWALK

Submitted by jonas on Mon, 2017-03-20 19:40

When I was a little child, maybe two years old, I would always reach for the moon when my mother would take me out for a little walk, and I once asked: “Mama, can we go to the moon?” She replied that yes we could, but it would be far. I thought about it for a minute, and then I answered, “We could use a ladder!" For centuries the moon has inspired oh so many composers and artists. But despite the fact that we know more about it today, the mystique and imaginary stories about the moon will never change. I was able to capture the moon on camera through my telescope on November 11th 2016, when it was 10% from blossoming into the well known super moon three days later. 

 

Whenever I play Rachmaninov´s Moment Musical no. 5, it feels as if I am walking on the moon. And that made me want to study the moon a bit more up close. So the inquisitive person in me captured her on camera and saw her different colors in music. My favourite stories as a child were about Le Petit Prince. Sometimes I would think I was him, up there on the moon, running around playing with star dust. Sometimes I still do. And if Le Petit Prince would have had a favourite piece I think it would have been Schubert´s Impromptu no. 2. It´s quiet, but with lots of imagination. The sound of dreaming when sleeping on the moon would definitely sound like Tveitt. And as written in the lyrics in Heavenly by Harry Connick Jr., "The man in the moon is smiling, 

'cause he´s in love with the girl in the world."

 

Every track is recorded in one take, as musicians used to do (and had to do) when people knew much less about the moon than we do today.

 

Come walk on the moon with me?

Sincerely

Aksel Kolstad

 

New recording: Rain inside out

Submitted by jonas on Tue, 2015-11-03 13:46

Dear listener, I have tried to create an atmosphere as close to a live performance experience as possible. Also as similar as possible regarding recording circumstances to what composers and performers had to work with in the early days. Which means that all pieces have been recorded separately in only one take. Recording pieces in only one take brings out, in my opinion, a more intense nerve within the performer, also creating a more virtual and close experience for the listener. It leaves out the possibility to edit minor misstakes, details or paste in new ideas. Recording in one take makes the origin of communicating in the present come to life more than ever. This has interested me for a long time, listening to how Brahms, Grieg, Debussy and Gershwin, amongst others, have performed when recording. Which also brings light to another aspect of this recording, the fact that the composer (me) is also performing. An old and strong tradition less and less found in our time in this music genre. Maybe this can encourage others to do the same, that would embrace my heart.

Another idea behind this recording is to try and create an experience for the listener where he or she can picture the composer sitting down by the grand piano, for and hour or so. Playing through historical and the composers own pieces. Starting with something well known, and then letting the fingers fly away inspired by it. Then playing the start of something he absolutely adores (Rachmaninoff), and after only a few bars making a musical comment to it. Starting a time-travelling dialogue between the past and the present. Playing Mozart when interrupted and inspired by the rain outside. Experimenting with Bach’s ideas as how Schostakovitch perhaps would have done it. This is the inside of a composers living room. There will alwas be rain. Interrupting and inspiring.

I hope you will enjoy the recording as much as I did writing and performing it.

Kolstad's compositions

Submitted by jonas on Tue, 2015-11-03 13:45

Opus:

Work:

1 (1997) 3 variations for piano-quintet
String-quartet and piano or optional
ensemble with two flutes, clarinet,
cello and piano

2 (1998)
Birth and death of the flowers
Solo clarinet

3 (1998)
Four pieces for solo violin

4 (1998)
Fantasiay for string-orchestra

5 (1998)
Little Rhapsody
Symphony-orchestra

6 (1998)
Three string-quartets
No. 1: Longing

7 (1998) Two fanfares for 4 trompets,
snaredrum and timpani
Four fanfares for trompet and snaredrum

8 (1998)
Piano-concerto no. 1
Piano and string-orchestra

9 (1998)
From my youth
Violin and piano

10 (1998)
Ouverture 2000
Symphony-orchestra

11 (1999)
Intermezzo for cello

12 (1999)
Without words
Romance for vocal and cello

13 (1999)
Elegy for basoon
(2000) Interlude for basoon

14 (1999
Intermezzo for cello

15 (1999
Forget me not
- Intermezzo for basoon and string-orchestra

16 (1998/99
V preludes for piano

17 (1999 In a dream
Solo violin

18 (1999 Two intermezzos for cello and piano
No. 1: Ce lui qui pense

(1999 Humoresque for cello and piano

(1999 Elegy; Depression
Violin and piano

(1999 Russian Humoresque
Flute and piano

(1999) Humoresque for cello and piano

(1999) Elegy
Clarinett, flute and cello

(2000) Passacaglia for piano

(1999) Quartet for clarinet, flute, bass-clarinett
and cello

(1999) Interlude for obo, clarinett and basoon

19 (1999)
Two Intermezzo for piano-trio

20 (1997)
Rhapsody for piano, À la Liszt

21 (1999)
Three pieces for mixed choir:
Love (text by Herman Wildenvey)
Andante (text by Aksel Kolstad)
Never Never Land (Irish poetic word of wisdom)

 

 

22 (1999)
Two pieces for female voice and piano:
Des images partis (text by Aksel Kolstad)
La solitude de la lune (text by Aksel Kolstad)

23 (2000/01)
12 interludes for piano
No. 1: Des papillons

24 (1999)
String-quartet no. 4: In my mind
Prolog: Pain

(1999) Two intermezzos for string-quartet

25 (1999)
Prélude pour cello et orchestre

(1999) Soria Moria
Piece for orchestra and choir

26 (1999)
Sonata for cello and piano

27 (99/2000)
The unfinished Moonsymphony
Symphony-orchestra and choir

28 (2000)
Piano-concerto no. 2
Piano and Janitsjar-orchestra

(2000)
Piano-quintet
Piano and string-quartet

(2000)
Interlude for flute and basoon

(2000)
Etude pour violoncello

29 (2001)
Sonatina for piano

30 (2002)
Requiem, for piano:
Intermezzo I
Intermezzo II
Intermezzo III

Berceuse pour la lune
Piano

Intermezzo for basoon and mixed choir

Intermezzo for piano

31 (2002)
Deux petits morceaux pour piano

(2002) Intermezzo for violoncello and piano

32 (2002/03)
Poème pour piano (2002)
Poème pour violon et piano
Poème pour violoncell et piano
Poème pour violon, violoncell, et piano
Poème pour piano et orchestre de chambre

33 (2002)
Portrets (piano)

(2003) Le grillon saoul
Musique pour un danseur,
un musicien et un acteur

34 (2003)
Une peinture de Salvador Dali oubliée dans
un des musée à Moscou
Piano

(2003) Inventione
Piano

(2003) Scenemusic for a ballett
Piano

35 (2004) Des fragments d’amour
Piano

(2004) Lied
Chant/piano

(03/04) Intermezzo
Piano

 

 

36 (2004)
Andante
Flauto/piano

(2004) Cloches
Piano

(2004) Tema
Two violins

(2004) Coral from Kazan
Accordeon

(2004) Berceuse pour le diable
Piano

(2004) L’abcence d’Aksel
Piano

(2004) Melodie
Melodica

(2004) Morceux pour piano

(2004) Shtuck für obo und streicher-quartette

(2004) Trio pour violin, viola et violoncell

37 (2004)
Brass-quintet

(2004) Mon sac
Piano

38 (2004)
Mademoiselle Røynesdal
Piano

39 (2004/05)
Six mourceaux orchestral inspiré par
six tableaux de Salvador Dali

Stringquartet

40 (2004) Un petit oiseau
Piano

(2004) Une goutte de surrealisme
Chant/piano

(2004) The loving cellist
Violoncello

(2005) Winter-night
Two voices and string quartet

41 (2007)
Five surreal interpretations of five
Lyric Pieces of Edvard Grieg
Piano

(2007) Vintrar / Winters – melodrama based
on poems by Tomas Tranströmer
Piano/narrator

42 (2010) Works for piano solo:
La Follia
Variations over a theme by Gershwin
Variations over a theme by Rachmaninov
Harlekin variations
5 surreal interpretations over 5 lyric pieces by E. Grieg
Deux morceaux fantasques
5 Goldfish preludes

43 (2011)
Works for piano solo:
Étude Norvègienne
L´Amour invisible
Rondo arabesque
Intermezzo from the ballet “The legend of the Ice.people”
Inventione

43 (2011)
Ballet in two acts for symphonic orchestra:
“The Legend of the Ice-people”

 

 

 

 

 

Aksel Kolstad - New album: Moonwalk (2017)

Listen to the recording: Rain inside out (2015)

Other recordings

A Russian in Brooklyn