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Congleton Chronicle

Say the sleeve notes of this: “The magical world of Jonathan Östlund’s music regularly takes us, the listeners, to liminal states — it acts as a bridge between our world and a fantastical, enchanted otherworld in which the world of the fairy looms large.” 

Older readers might remember “Pogle’s Wood”, the early Oliver Postgate kids’ television show in which fairy figures had adventures in a rather dark wood, and Östlund’s music would have suited that show, slightly mysterious but mostly friendly. 

We always like Östlund’s work but this one is really good, ranging from other-worldly ethereal sounds to more traditional chamber orchestral sections and lovely instrumentals. It’s almost true to say no two tracks are the same. 

The album opens with the sound of wind chimes, harp and bird song and with a nudge one way could be a cool electronica track. Garden centre New Age albums can only dream of sounding like this. 

The windchimes of “Elysían Dreamscape I” give way to “Elysían Theme”, which features a soprano (Natalie Anston) vocalising — a Frodo meets the Elf Queen sort of sound — before a more traditional piano arrives with “Along A Sun-Ray”, in places nudging at the melody of Greensleeves but sprightly and mysterious; a slow fairy dance. “Aeolus” follows and is a more traditional chamber orchestra piece, and very harmonious. 

“Air on the Heart-strings” is traditional classical piano. A cello solo follows. “Hey, Dance as long”, “something of a post-Bach cello suite” say the notes, but with echoes of Stefan Grapelli. After more lovely piano in “Yonderlands” we’re back in “Pogle’s Wood” with “Azure Ablaze”, a two-movement piece that opens with ethereal flute. 

Side two is less fairies in the wood and more traditional, but it still sounds a little ethereal; even when it’s a fairly conformist piece, it still sounds other-worldly, and that’s before we get to songs with “fairy flute” in the title or wind chimes and bird song. “Nuages Fatigues” on the piano is lovely. 

There are many references to other composers (on side one there’s a lively nod to Beethoven that every time puts us in mind of the intro to ELO’s “Roll Over Beethoven”). 

The variety may not be everyone’s cup of tea (CBD tea in this case, probably) but its variation from the norm may also appeal. Music is often used to take the listener to a different place, and Östlund does this better than most. 

Players include Peter Sheppard Skærved on viola and violin, Martina Bortolotti von Haderburg and Maria Zagorinskaya, sopranos, and Serene Yu, piano. Out on Divine Art, DDX 21242.