Kaleidoscopic | Lars Horntveth

My review of Lars Horntveth’s Kaleidoscopic ran today in the Boston Phoenix.

Horntveth is part of the Norwegian band Jaga Jazzist, and I suppose I should look them up because I really enjoyed his work on this album. It’s a pleasant, surprising piece of ‘nu-classical,’ one that demonstrates the power and potential of instrumental and orchestral music without engaging in cheap cliches and without diluting it in an attempt to make it more accessible. It is accessible on its own terms, escaping the pitfalls of most “cinematic” music.