“Winter Stories” is a deeply evocative collection of seasonal soundscapes infused with equal parts atmospheric beauty and reflective contemplation. Produced by Jacob Karlzon and Lars Nilsson and mixed in Dolby Atmos at Sweden’s renowned Studio Nilento, “Winter Stories” sees Karlzon masterfully conjuring the stark chill of Scandinavian winter via only his imagination and the Steinway D Grand piano, his resolute naturalist approach and striking dynamic range brilliantly capturing an emotional time of year fraught with isolation, meditation, and melancholy. The album showcases his renditions of songs both associated with winter and the holiday season – including Silent Night and Bulgaria’s Bel Veter Due – as well as music that evokes similar sensations, with highlights including Karlzon’s original composition, Winterballad, the traditional English carol, The First Nowell, and Taylor Swift’s pensive ballad, Evermore.

Hailed by The Guardian for his “captivating musicality”, the Swedish pianist and composer Jacob Karlzon has earned worldwide acclaim for his technical brilliance as well as his distinctly modern approach to the piano, fusing a stunning array of influences – spanning jazz and classical to Scandinavian folk, future funk, and doom metal – to create an inventive, virtuoso voice all his own.

“I wanted to find a balance on this album where it is not a conventional Christmas album but more of a seasonal one … What I would like to do with this album is to have created something that is more about embracing a kind of pause from certain things, from everyday struggle or maybe a pause from the stress around Christmas. It could be anything from trying to gather gifts or bring family together, or to have something to eat and a roof over your head. My approach to the whole thing was just the fact that there are so many different traditions, all the different food and all the different points of view, but for many people, it’s a time of year related to the fact that they perhaps can’t afford certain things or maybe don’t have anyone to share the holidays with. I wanted the album to focus more on that, on showing empathy, love, and solidarity, to create a place where people could contemplate a bit in between whatever else is going on in their lives.” – Jacob Karlzon

Tracklist:
1. Evermore (Taylor Swift)
2. Winterballad (Jacob Karlzon)
3. The First Nowell (traditional)
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (traditional)
5. Shine Over Lakes and Shores (Gläns över sjö och strand) (Alice Tegnér)
6. A Child is Born (Thad Jones)
7. The Night is Dark (Så mörk är natten i midvintertid) (Carl Bertil Agnestig)
8. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (traditional)
9. Suantrai (traditional)
10. When Christmas is Coming (När det lider mot jul) (Ruben Liljefors)
11. Bel Veter Due (traditional)
12. Taladh Chriosta (Christ’s Lullaby) (traditional)
13. Silent Night (Franz Xaver Gruber)