Marius Neset & Leif Ove Andsnes - Who We Are (2024) [Hi-Res]

The album Who We Are is the first studio recording of the collaboration between pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and saxophonist/composer Marius Neset. They are joined on the record by flautist Ingrid Softeland Neset and cellist Louisa Tuck. The music, composed by Neset, was recorded at Oslo's Rainbow Studio in the course of three days in December, 2023.

The central piece on the album, Who We Are, was commissioned by Leif Ove Andsnes for his Rosendal Chamber Music Festival, where it has been performed in concert twice, most recently in 2022.On the album, a version of "Prague's Ballet" and the duets "Chaconne", "Road to Polaris. Part 1"and "Waterfall Jig" are also included.

The collaboration between classical musician Leif Ove Andsnes and jazz musician Marius Neset entailed a special challenge: getting the traditions and associated conventions of jazz and classical music to interact successfully. Both musicians are highly sceptical of concepts such as "crossover" and "fusion" when these mean that performers are thrust into genres that they do not really master, and both were aware that their collaboration, wherever it might lead them, would not lead them there. This article consists of two separate interviews, in which Leif Ove Andsnes and Marius Neset reflect on similarities and differences in the two genres, and on how some challenges were addressed during their collaborative effort.