Lasse Thoresen: Lyden av Arktis Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Lasse Thoresen: Lyden av Arktis Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 22, 2024

Some old enough to remember the halcyon days of long playing records (you know, vinyl) may recall a rather popular series of releases by an aggregation called the Mystic Moods Orchestra which combined "easy listening" orchestral arrangements with ambient environmental sounds like water and wind. If you take away that "easy listening" part but keep some actually kind of amazing sound effects (either "real" or those approximated by an orchestra), you'll have at least an inkling of what Lyden av Arktis has to offer. That title evidently translates to The Sound of the Arctic, at least according to the back cover of this release, which features another astoundingly well recorded effort by boutique label 2L. This release will most definitely not be everyone's cup of tea, but a lot of it reminded me on more than one occasion of such groundbreaking efforts by the likes of Edgard Varèse, with huge clashing sonorities "competing" with ambient sound effects.

One of the undeniable benefits of growing up in Salt Lake City was being able to trek down to Temple Square to hear the Utah Symphony, then under the direction of the redoubtable Maurice Abravanel. Maestro Abravanel kind of famously snatched a Grandes Prix du Disques from the grasp of none other than Leonard Bernstein when Abravanel started recording his own Mahler cycle the same year Lenny did, but Abravanel was also at the forefront of offering Varese's work both to the paying public at the Tabernacle (where the Symphony performed back in the "Dark Ages" of my youth), but also courtesy of recordings. And in fact Maestro Abravanel and the Utah Symphony offered the first recording of Varese's Amériques, which is just one of several Varese pieces which those brave enough to forage through the dense soundscapes of Lyden av Arktis may be reminded of. There's even some quasi-siren effects that sound like they're being achieved with trombones, but there are other "actual" sound effects, including some whistling Arctic winds.

Composer Lasse Thoresen offers an interesting essay in the insert booklet which talks about the commission he received which was designed to result in a musical portrait of Norway's "northernmost regions". There's a stark, understandably wintry, ambience to a lot of this work, with a kind of icy cold astringency that can be either abrasive or actually rather weirdly meditative.

Lasse Thoresen: Lyden av Arktis Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While there is an AVC 1080 video component to this release, it's really just a standard menu, as can be seen in the fifth photo accompanying this review. A few "moving parts" are included, with the track titles changing and a complete tracklist also available, along with a credits pop up informational screen. You can control which audio codec you prefer via the colored buttons on your remote and so really don't need to have a monitor employed to enjoy this release.

Lasse Thoresen: Lyden av Arktis Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2L has distinguished itself as a really interesting boutique label for fans of high resolution audio, and if the selections on this disc may offer some hurdles for the uninitiated, this is another really stunning recording from the label, offered via a variety of codecs, including Auro 3D, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. As I tend to do with these audio Blu-rays from 2L, I spent the bulk of my time toggling between the Auro 3D and Dolby Atmos tracks, and there is some of the most pronounced vertical presence on this disc of any of the many 2L releases I've reviewed, starting with those aforementioned whistling winds. For those wanting a more relatively tonal experience, I'd actually recommend starting with the seventh track , Fiddle Feasts, which has some appealing string work and some of the most "straightforward" music on the disc. Those with more adventurous sensibilities will find their systems challenged throughout the nine tracks on the disc by not just consistent engagement of all the surround channels, but an really almost overwhelming amount of dynamic range. There are some very dissonant sonorities offered at times, which can then contrast with some more lyrical moments, but Thoresen regularly plays with any number of orchestral effects, all of which are offered here with really sterling clarity and fluidity.

Lasse Thoresen: Lyden av Arktis Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While there is no on disc bonus content other than mShuttle availability, 2L also includes a CD and a really nicely appointed insert booklet with quite a bit of background information on all the pieces courtesy of composer Lasse Thoresen, with an additional essay by conductor Christian Kluxen of the Arktisk Filharmoni.

Lasse Thoresen: Lyden av Arktis Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Having been exposed to experiences like listening to Edgard Varèse from a very young age, I was perhaps "prepared" to accept the almost overwhelming combo platter of orchestral effects that Lyden av Arktis offers. There are some more traditionally "beautiful" moments here, including the aforementioned seventh track, but also Hymn to the Untouched, which brings to mind an almost Brucknerian sense of orchestration at times. One way or the other, adventurous audiophiles will find this to be another spectacularly well recorded effort from 2L.