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Review by Audiophile.no February 16, 2014 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Half the Bach-kin have done it. Georg Friedrich Handel did it. And last but not least - Andrew Lloyd Webber has done it. But what have they done?
Torbjørn Dyrud is in dangerously good company with the dramaturgy of 2L`s latest release. He is an educated church musician, and his previous CD is called "Detti er heime." If you think this seems like a split musical personality with deep contempt for Wirkola, there are two of us.
Out of Darkness is a kind of passion. But not quite, there is a mismatch at the end. A Passion is taken from Easter to end on Good Friday, or thereabouts. But not Out of Passion.
The message is traditional and sourced from Easter Gospel. So far, a traditional "Passion" by recipe from Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach, or his father. Or Georg Friderich Handel, who also lived an incredibly long time ago. It seems superfluous to say that the musical style of Dyrud is different, very different We are definitely into contemporary music, but otherwise a quite indescribable part of this.
There is otherwise a bit inevitable to look around. 40 years. Andrew Lloyd Weber was in the wind, and his maybe most famous production - Jesus Christ Superstar had just the same theme. And also he stepped very new tracks in old stories. But to be clear right away - where the similarity ends. Weber created a Rock Opera while still being trendy, asked the entire history of debate on a bit clever, and a sort of neutral way. That is not at all where we find Out of Darkness. I consider it to be a very modern musical work in an otherwise fairly orthodox tradition.
But yet we have not really talked much about music. This is unequivocally modern, but in one or some indeterminate form. It is quite dramatic devices in music, and these are very much underlined by sound on this release in Blu-ray and SACD.
Sound:
This is a Pure Audio Blu-ray in a form we are used to from 2L. It means that we get with this purchase a hybrid, multi-channel SACD. I also have a strong need to emphasize packaging. Because after the previous release Remote Galaxy - that really lies ahead in the queue on the test bench - there has been a gratifying change in packaging for releases on Pure Audio Blu-ray from 2L. While the former had a standard Blu-ray cover, there is now a Super Jewel Box applicable, in line with a series of SACD releases from other manufacturers. This is a major advance. I do not think the old Blu-ray box was a worthy packaging of the great products from 2L.
A bit unusual is that we are not getting a schematic representation of alignment and microphone position of 2L. Nevertheless, it is obvious that we have one for 2L quite conventional circular alignment. We are in Nidaros Cathedral, a venue with a reputable magnificent acoustics. It is a scene that provides tremendous opportunities. And challenges.
The long reverberation time is very well tamed in Out of Darkness. The large church hall is pretending to be utilized to provide scope for Nidaros Cathedral Choir, orchestra and percussive elements, including brass partly in almost percussive form.
However, what dominates is very much the dramatic dynamics. And both Thorbjørn Dyrud and 2L helps in achieving this. An important musical instrument in Out of Darkness is dynamic, and this is mediated by 2L in the way we're used to it. More or less uncompressed! Not least it illustrates noggins under "crusify!" is dynamics an important tool.
As otherwise it is a wasted exercise listening in stereo to discs from 2L, as long as you have a choice. Multi-channel variant is that otherwise vastly superior, providing a completely different involvement and presence in the music. My thoughts are with those who do not have a choice.
Highly recommended, even long before Easter!
This review was originally written and published by me at the website www.Audiophile.no.
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