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TRON SYVERSEN’S PEACEFUL JOURNEY IS BEAUTIFUL AND CLASSIC NEW AGE MUSIC
Tron Syversen is a keyboardist from Norway who knows how to create excellent new age music. He does not shy away from the description. The front and back covers of his latest album, Peaceful Journey, states “music for relaxation and well-being.” And it is. But the music also is highly entertaining to simply sit and listen to.
The album begins with “Silent Dream” featuring piano, but also including synth, female wordless vocalizing, some great cello and what sounds like a little violin and acoustic guitar. The next tune has synthesized-strings, the third piece is mostly synth and bass, and the fourth tune (“Amorous”) slowly builds and then a tasty English horn comes in around the 4:00 mark, but a minute later the track goes soft again, and after 6:00 a violin takes over. According to some interviews with Syversen, most of his pieces are created out of improvisation, and that shows on occasion when a nice melody line disappears and another one takes its place. Sometimes he dips into ambient territory, but mostly the melodies he creates are very fine in execution. And wordless vocalist Elin Lokken deserves a shout out, especially for her work on “Lullaby to Love.” Another pretty piece is the all-instrumental “Your Dream” which starts with plucked guitar strings for a minute-and-a-half before a violin steps in and then a strong piano solo comes out of nowhere after four-minutes or so.
Some people think new age music has disappeared, diversified beyond recognition or is never as good as “the old days.” Those people should be forced to listen to this album so that they would know that there are still musicians creating beautiful new age music in the classic style.
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Peaceful Journey, Listener Album Review
