Melancholy Death

From the title, one might expect that this release by Norwegian Baroque violinist Bjarte Eike is an exploration of the well-trodden theme of melancholy in British music in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In fact it is that, but it's much more besides. The Image of Melancholy is an experiment with the form in at least three ways, and it should appeal greatly to listeners of a speculative frame of mind. First, Eike and his small Barokksolistene ensemble expand the historical picture in both space and time, mixing traditional music from Scandinavia and beyond (even from Slovakia) with compositions by Dowland, Holborne, and Byrd, and adding Baroque pieces such as one of Biber's Mystery Sonatas that are not precisely "melancholy" but certainly play off the concept in arresting ways.

Some albums are born from necessity rather than desire. When a Shadow Is Forced Into the Light is one. After Swallow the Sun issued their triple-length magnum opus Songs from the North I, II & III in 2015, tragedy struck. Guitarist/composer Juha Raivio lost his life partner, the poet and vocalist Aleah Stanbridge, to cancer at the end of 2016. She and Raivio had formed the band Trees of Eternity but she passed before their debut was completed. He finished and released the album then went into seclusion. Upon returning, he formed the band Hallatar, composing songs from lyrics in her journals. They released No Stars Upon the Bridge in 2017. But Raivio also channeled his grief into this extended reflection on loss, sadness, heartbreak, and transformation for STS; he penned its nine songs in three weeks…