Album review: Espen Berg - The Trondheim Concert

Espen Berg (solo piano)

Confronted with a double album of solo improvised piano pieces it is impossible not to think immediately of what’s his name and the inevitable questions (Is it as good as Keith Jarrett? Is it different enough to make the exercise worthwhile or is it another copyist? Have we found the next one in the line that runs from Art Tatum, through Bud Powell and Bill Evans?) will follow. Keith Jarrett is always the elephant in the room for solo piano recordings.

 This one is a snapshot from a single night in Trondheim in November 2019 and I’m grateful that it has now reached the public after 3 years of interesting times. The musicianship on a recording like this is a given but to make it work the music must challenge both the player and the audience. It is a balancing act on a tightrope that can go from high wire to haywire in a moment. It has to be strong and intense; it must draw the listener in to the point where they are submerged in the music. It should be a full sensurround experience. Berg has managed this.

His playing may range across different styles and conjure up numerous images (Part 1 for example, conjures up images of wide open American country spaces and Nordic forests) but you hang on to every note waiting for the next departure. There are lyrical flourishes and long stretches where the rhythm dominates and the melodic changes are minimal, building up a tension that cries out for a release.

The pieces, or movements, have no titles beyond Part 1 to Part 10, some flowing from one into another, indeed the applause at some points also serves to break the tension. There are sections (Part 6) where right and left hands are playing against each other creating a dissonance, and other sections of two fisted fury. Part 2 gives us bold, thundering movements, moments of two handed bravado that sweep back and forth like powerful waves. In contrast there are moments of whimsy such as the inclusion in Part 3 of sections that sound like songs from the shows which leaven the seriousness without any loss of intensity.  Other moments are balletic elegance; peace after the fury (Parts 8 and 10). At times, it’s an exhausting listen but completely worth the effort.

There is more information about Berg’s career to date, including recordings, projects and tour dates, (none in the UK) HERE on his website and there is an article about him and a review of this album in this month’s Jazzwise. The Trondheim Concert is released on October 28 and is available through the usual outlets. Dave Sayer