Nicolai Kornerup - Tidsskjul
Step into Tidsskjul ("Timeshelter"), the third album from Danish pianist Nicolai Kornerup. Alongside bassist Jakob Roland and drummer Henrik Holst Hansen, Kornerup crafts a mesmerizing blend of Nordic lyricism and warm, woody resonance—where the cool introspection of Scandinavian jazz meets the classic touch of pianists like Jan Johansson and Keith Jarrett.
The two already released singles albym, have been well received and heavily played on danish radio P8.
Recorded entirely on reel-to-reel tape, the album breathes with nostalgia and contemporary depth, each track a vignette of memory, place, and emotion. From the Arctic midnight glow of Fornesbreen ved midnatt to the tender tribute of Yellow Leaves (For Yi), written to his late friend, Chinese singer Wang Yunyi , Kornerup’s compositions traverse borders—from Arabic improvisation (Taqsim for Suhail) to the quiet tension of a Budapest stroll (Vandring i Viranyos). At its heart lies the title track, Tidsskjul, inspired by writer Georgi Gospodinov’s surreal tale of collective nostalgia—a meditation on time’s elastic grip.
Tidsskjul is a sanctuary of sound - a place of poetic piano triomusic and atmospheric storytelling.
*"Tidsskjul" releases on 30.05.25 on Vinyl/CD/Digital*
Credits:
All compositions written by Nicolai Kornerup,
except:
Ummi Rahat - written by Rana Elian & Suhail Khoury
Prelude in F-minor - a paraphrase of J.S. Bach BWV 857
Label: Lydian Sound
Piano - Nicolai Kornerup
Bass - Jakob Roland
Drums - Henrik Holst Hansen
Mixed and mastered by Henrik Holst Hansen
Recorded at MILL FACTORY December 5-6, 2023
Photography: Julia Severinsen
Design: Niklas Antonson - Notation
About the songs:
Fornesbreen ved midnatt
I found a painting of this mountain, Fornesbreen, made by my great-great-grandfather. The mountain lies in the Tromsø region of northern Norway. Imagine how creatures move at midnight when the sun never sets here in the Arctic.
Tidsskjul
In a strange story about nostalgia by Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov, the entire world debates which version of the past they wish to live in during the future.
The Absent
Someone who isn't here, yet whose presence is still felt. Nothing is lost, nothing is won, everything is transformed.
Yellow Leaves (For Yi)
For my friend, Chinese singer Wang Yunyi, who left this world in the summer of 2024.
Taqsim for Suhail
A taqsim is an Arabic improvised musical passage.
Ummi Rahat
A Palestinian children's song written by Suhail Khoury and Rana Elian.
The translated lyrics:
"My mother went out shopping / She gave me a coin to spend / I bought pistachios with it / And drank delicious tea / Then I bought a watermelon / I ate half and saved the rest"
Vandring i Viranyos
A stroll through a seemingly quiet neighborhood in Budapest.
Sorte Øjne
Their eyes - now left black.
Solen over Goldájavri
The sun over the lake where Norway, Sweden, and Finland meet.
Prelude in F-minor
A meditation on the cantor of St. Thomas.