Terje Rypdal, The Hilliard Ensemble, Bruckner Orchester Linz, Dennis Russell Davies, Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, Sebastian Perłowski

Melodic Warrior brings together two large orchestral works by Norwegian guitarist and composer Terje Rypdal, both recorded live and released by ECM in 2013. The title work, about 45 minutes long, was commissioned by The Hilliard Ensemble and sets Native American poetry for voices, electric guitar and orchestra. The second, And The Sky Was Coloured With Waterfalls And Angels, documents the premiere of his op. 97.

The title piece was recorded in December 2003 at the Brucknerhaus in Linz. The four Hilliard singers appear with the Bruckner Orchester Linz, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies. The second work followed in November 2009 at the Jazztopad Festival in Wrocław, with the Wrocław Philharmonic under Sebastian Perłowski. In both, Rypdal's electric guitar is the solo voice. Manfred Eicher produced the album and mixed it with the composer and Jan Erik Kongshaug.

The texts come from Chippewa, Navajo, Pima and Papago sources, spread over nine movements with titles such as Song Of Thunders and A Prayer. In The Independent, Andy Gill described an opening of high-pitched tone and coughing, before a swell of cellos and rumbling percussion brings in the singers. He heard Ligeti in the monkish vocals of The Secret File. The galloping guitar and strings of My Music Reaches To The Sky reminded him of Wild West soundtracks. Over the strings' broad planes of sound, Rypdal's sustained guitar lines carry the melody. The op. 97 piece, composed in 2009, was inspired by the International Fireworks Festival in Cannes. Its four Waterfalls movements are darker, with heavy low brass and huge orchestral crescendos.

The Independent on Sunday wrote that the two pieces suggest Rypdal "really needs to be seen as a composer". The paper also caught a nod to Jimi Hendrix and his wish to kiss the sky. Not everyone was convinced: Roger Thomas in BBC Music Magazine found the album "interesting and at the same time imperfect at several levels". Dominy Clements of MusicWeb International preferred the second work, judging it darker than the title piece and better for that.

This is the CD edition, ECM 2006, first released in June 2013.