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ULVER & TROMSØ CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: MESSE I.X - VI.X

Ulver

Post Rock/Math rock


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Ulver Ulver & Tromsø Chamber Orchestra: Messe I.X - VI.X album cover
3.93 | 163 ratings | 3 reviews | 29% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2013

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. As Syrians Pour In, Lebanon Grapples with Ghosts of a Bloody Past (11:50)
2. Shri Schneider (5:34)
3. Glamour Box (Ostinati) (6:10)
4. Son of Man (8:23)
5. Noche Oscura Del Alma (5:25)
6. Mother of Mercy (7:22)

Total Time 44:44

Line-up / Musicians

- Kristoffer Rygg / vocals, ?
- Ole Alexander Halstensgård / electronics, ?
- Tore Ylwizaker / programming, ?
- Jørn H. Sværen / ?

With:
- Martin Romberg / orchestration, grand piano
- Alexander Kloster-Jensen / guitar
- Kari Rønnekleiv / violin, viola
- Ole Henrik Moe / violin, viola
- John Stenersen / hurdy-gurdy
- Tomas Pettersen / drums

Tromsø Chamber Orchestra:
- Snorre Holmgren / 1st violin
- Yuko Kawami / 1st violin
- Aelita Osadchuk / 1st violin
- Brynjar Lien Schulerud / 1st violin
- Kristina Nygaard Walsnes / 1st violin
- Berit Fonnes / 2nd violin
- Eira Foss / 2nd violin
- Sari Martinussen / 2nd violin
- Anders Melhus / 2nd violin
- Katrina Brown / viola
- Mari Giske / viola
- Sigrid Lien Schulerud / viola
- Mario Machlik / cello
- Ørnulf Lillebjerka / cello
- Inga Raab / cello
- Stein Paulsen / double bass
- Arne Bjørhei / trumpet
- Ingrid Eliassen / trumpet
- Torbjørn Ingvaldsen / trombone
- Jens Christian Kloster / trombone

Releases information

Note: Orchestra recorded live in rehearsal in the days prior to concert, September 21, 2012

Artwork: Trine Paulsen & Kim Sølve with Ingrid Aas (photo)

CD Neuropa Records, Jester Records NRP43, TRICK051 (2013 Belgium)
LP Neuropa Records, Jester Records NRP44, TRICK051 (2013 Belgium)
LP+CD NRP43, TRICK051, NRP44 (2013 Norway) (box set)
CD Kscope KSCOPE267 (2013 UK) (digipack)
CD Kscope KSCOPE268 (2013 UK) (slipcase)
LP Kscope Kscope847 (2013 UK)
CD Kscope KSCOPE267P (2013 UK) (promo)

Thanks to vangelis for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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Buy ULVER Ulver & Tromsø Chamber Orchestra: Messe I.X - VI.X Music



ULVER Ulver & Tromsø Chamber Orchestra: Messe I.X - VI.X ratings distribution


3.93
(163 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(29%)
29%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(42%)
42%
Good, but non-essential (21%)
21%
Collectors/fans only (7%)
7%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

ULVER Ulver & Tromsø Chamber Orchestra: Messe I.X - VI.X reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars A haunting album of dark ambient music on which the enigmatic masters of doom and gloom team up with the Trømso Chamber Orchestra to produce a soundtrack of majestic and impactful heaviness. Full of subtlety and breathtaking beauty, the album is most unusual for the fact that Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg only sings on two songs--one, "Son of Man" (8:25) (9/10) on which he almost sounds as if he is trying to reach operatic heights, yet, which unfortunately renders the song perhaps the weakest on this powerful album. As a fellow reviewer has written, Garm's vocals almost seem out of place with the song, with this music, with this album. All songs are amazing and reveal more layers and nuances with repeated listens. They all seem to run together into a whole, perhaps this is a concept album? I've heard reference to the Western liturgical forms imitated (or honored) here. The Mozart references in the second half of "Son of Man" seem pretty obvious to me. Perhaps this is the case. Regardless, this is a stunning album--one that can easily suck you in! I love it!

Favorite songs: all but the "X-Files Theme"/trip-hoppy "Glamour Box (Ostinato)" (6:11) (10/10), "Shri Schneider" (5:35) (9/10) and the Eno/Ambient-like "Noche Oscura del Alma" (5:21) (9/10) get me every time.

I go months without listening or even remembering that this album exists, but then every time I do listen I find myself getting sucked in and getting blown away all over again. This is a truly amazing album!

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Teaming up with Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, Ulver use the classical backing offered by the orchestra to their advantage in adding weight, power, and gravitas to their post-rock compositions. Ulver have regularly dabbled in orchestral atmospheres ever since they steered away from the black metal of their early albums, with increasing confidence, and here there's a sense that a lot of these experiments dating from their William Blake album onwards are coming to fruition with these stately compositions. The title implies a VII.X-X.X to follow, and if that's the case they've succeeded in exciting and intriguing me. Recommended if you like the idea of a more classical, less electronic take on Ulver's post-rock era.
Review by Conor Fynes
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 'Messe I.X-VI.X' - Ulver (8/10)

I can't think of another band that has so constantly and successfully reinnovated themselves as have Norway's Ulver. Like a modern day King Crimson, Ulver have never stayed in one spot for too long, always pushing towards uncharted territory even well into their maturity. While I'll always have a soft spot for 1995's Bergtatt, their decision to swerve away from their roots in black metal has given Ulver a much longer-lasting musical relevance than most of the bands from the Norwegian Second Wave. No matter where Ulver has travelled with their sound, it's always resulted in something interesting and sincere.

Of course, none of what I've just said should come as any surprise to anyone who has experienced Ulver before. The questions then are: where have they gone with their latest opus Messe I.X-VI.X, and what musical stones are yet unturned? Teaming up with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, Ulver's latest incarnation is based in minimalist neoclassical music. Slow, brooding and steeped in their unique brand of experimentation, this orchestral approach seems a logical evolution from the band's previous ambient work, particularly the sombre Shadows of the Sun. Messe I.X-VI.X may suffer the pangs of an uneven flow and a few less impressive moments, but its unique marriage of chamber music with dark ambient, electronic and jazz is impressive, and at its best, some of the most sublime material Ulver have ever produced.

Calling Messe I.X-VI.X an 'album' may be improper, as it has more in common with a modern classical work than anything in the popular canon. "As Syrians Pour in, Lebanon Grapples with Ghosts of a Bloody Past" introduces the album with a hauntingly profound soundscape. A hurdy-gurdy carries on a sombre dirge over the crackle of distant gunfire and grim wartime ambiance. Although the exotic atmosphere makes for a slow start to the album, the track ultimately evolves into a more focused modern classical composition. A string section gradually adds layers to a sombre arrangement that immediately recalls Henryk Górecki's "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs". Although first impressions had me yearning for a quicker start to the album, the track is damned near-perfect, both in its composition and execution.

Although Messe seems predominantly inspired by neoclassical composers, it most strongly gives the impression of being the soundtrack for a film that exists only in the listener's mind. "Shri Schneider" and "Glamour Hole (Ostinati)" would be fitting scores for a tense espionage thriller. Blending electronic experimentation with the neoclassical template, Ulver are exploring a fusion of genre I haven't had the pleasure of hearing before. The resulting atmosphere is immense and futuristic. While Ulver may have been influenced by tradition and longheld conventions on Messe, the music is anything but.

In homage to Western classical tradition, Messe I.X-VI.X adopts a liturgical theme, reflected in the work's solemn atmosphere, use of choirs, and minimal, religiously-oriented lyrics. Kristtofer Rygg's voice has remained a constant throughout Ulver's work, and the common utterance of Rygg as one of the most powerful, diverse vocalists out there does not go unfounded. Especially on Shadows of the Sun, his deep, gloomy vocals were profound and emotionally penetrating. Having been a fan of just about every vocal performance I've heard from him, it was all the more surprising and every bit unfortunate that Rygg's vocals seem out of place here on Messe. Although the first half of the album is nearly-perfect in its instrumental ambiance, the vocals on "Son of Man" have never struck me the right way. Maybe it's a result of the lyrics- the religiosity of which feels contrived and minimalistic without being particularly profound- or perhaps I simple became so immersed in the atmosphere of the album that lead vocals of any kind would have hurt my enjoyment. "Mother of Mercy"- the album's other vocal track- fares better both lyrically and musically. Rygg's voice retains its trademark depth and resonance, but the band's neoclassical direction doesn't fit his voice nearly as well as the electronic approach of yesteryear. Although I wouldn't dismiss the possibility that Ulver will find a way to make lead vocals work for this neoclassical style, I'm left with the (possibly) unpopular opinion that Messe I.X-VI.X could have been even better if it had been kept purely instrumental and ambient.

"Noche Oscura Del Alma" is a solid ambient piece, with warped samples of Helen Forrest's "Mad About the Boy" conjuring an impression of the post-apocalypse. Especially compared to the three other instrumental tracks however, it's the weakest offering here and doesn't really work without the two vocal tracks around it. Really, I'm left with two impressions of Messe. While the first half of the album is downright masterful, the second side is disappointing by contrast. The misguided vocals aside, Messe loses its sublime sense of pacing after "Son of Man". To the album's credit though, it would be difficult for any music to follow up the near-perfection heard on the first track and "Shri Schneider". The second half of Messe I.X-VI.X is quite good, but I'm left longing for a more consistently satisfying experience.

The title Messe I.X-VI.X implies the coming of a second installment to comprise the last four movements. If that's true, then I have high hopes for more of Ulver's neoclassical-electronic fusion. While the album does not impress me as much as their best ambient work in Perdition City or the devastating Shadows of the Sun, this next evolution leaves plenty of room for Ulver to create something worthy of awe and wonder.

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