CD Review

Trond Takes Listeners on a Journey to the Heart

You’ve already read about Trond in the newspaper.  Remember?  He’s the Ph.D. jet-set Renaissance man who abandoned a highly successful executive career to sail around the world.  He’s the same guy who popped out of nowhere and claimed to be a musician.  His story makes for great human-interest reading, to be sure.  But what about his music?  Well, his recently released CD, Journey to the Heart, can best be summed up in a single word – magical. 

My first encounter with the CD came when I picked it up from Hasting’s local artists rack.  I took it home and put it in the CD player and tried to do some work on the computer.  Half way through the first track I realized that this CD was something special.  I stopped what I was doing and put on the headphones to block out extraneous noises and listened, and then I listened again.  I listened to the CD straight through twice before taking off the headphones.  I was mesmerized.  This is great music! 

Since I first heard it I have shared it with dozens of folks, often intentionally, but frequently by accident.  I often have it playing as background music in my office and have had several people just come in to my office, sit down without saying a word, close their eyes and listen to the music for five or ten minutes, and then get up and leave, still without saying a word. 

So, what kind of music is this?  The CD is totally instrumental.  The instrumentation usually features a Boesendorfer grand piano backed by a minimalist orchestra.  The tempo and style of each piece vary, as does the combination of instruments used.  And yet the flow of the CD, from piece to piece, is so smooth it literally carries you from track to track.  This CD contains tracks with memorable, haunting melodies, nestled tastefully in a well-orchestrated bed of superbly chosen voices. 

Journey to the Heart lives somewhere between New Age, light Classical and smooth Jazz.  This CD will appeal to a broad audience.  Trond tends to use somewhat of a pop format that works well with his varied styles and moods.  His tracks tend to be about four minutes in length and are simply and intelligently developed.  His classical background clearly shows through.  Pieces like Overture for les Miserables and Requiem for Oklahoma City use a full symphony orchestra and contain several short movements.  Sailing South, a more up tempo, rhythmic piece uses background instrumentation to weave a subtle counterpoint.  And we’re given a glimpse of Trond’s early fascination with the jazz of Dave Brubeck in the joyful Misterio.  But it’s the New Age track Nebula that will transport you to the outer edges of the cosmos.  This serene, contemplative piece could easily become the sound track for a deep space science fiction movie.  It must trigger the release of some chemical compound that also stimulates the optic nerve, because all you have to do is close your eyes to visualize yourself sailing past spiral galaxies and gaseous nebulas. 

My absolute personal favorite track is titled Tapestry of Illusions (track 4).  This is an incredibly gorgeous soaring melody with a divinely simple – yet highly effective – arrangement.    D. Robert Burroughs performs as a guest artist on violin backed by Trond on piano and his studio orchestra.   This is the kind of piece that will live forever.  The simple beauty of this piece can bring tears to my eyes.  It is hauntingly beautiful.  And yet it is unquestionably powerful.  Burrough’s violin is nothing short of masterful.  And Trond’s piano provides a counterpoint that is nothing short of delightful.  In a word, this is a phenomenal piece. 

I have owned this CD for nearly four months now and I still listen to it once a day.  It’s on even as I write this piece.  I know of someone who has it in his three CD changer next to Mozart and The Eagles' Greatest Hits – and that’s not bad company.  Trond’s music is full of counterpoint and sub-melody, allowing your mind to trace a different path through the music each time you hear it.  Perhaps this explains why this music has such staying power.  

I encourage you to add this CD to your collection.  It is not one that you will relegate to the back shelf in a month or so.  This is a CD that you will listen to over and over and over.  It’s that good.