Personal Best, the newest album from Eivind Buene with Trio Accanto and SWR Experimentalstudio, enters the contemporary music conversation as an exploration of artistic identity and reflection. Released on LAWO Classics, the album stands out for its method and message.
At the center is a “trio portrait,” in which the everyday voices of Marcus Weiss, Nicolas Hodges, and Christian Dierstein become compositional material. Buene draws upon their experiences as both inspiration and sonic elements, setting a new standard for what a portrait in music can be.
These stories are set within bold musical textures, with electronics amplifying the range of emotions and memories on display. Buene is unafraid to let history and tradition inform the new, allowing their interplay to direct the journey of each movement.By concluding with fresh interpretations of Brahms’ Four Serious Songs, Buene ties the album together as a commentary on the evolution of the musical self. Personal Best is a masterful statement on the fusion of life and art through sound.