I have been familiar with the work of Henrik Hytteballe for some years now, so it’s a pleasure to review his beautiful work as The Haiku Project, entitled Glimpses.
Here you will find an expansive work of grandeur and smooth tones of absolute delightful proportions. We start with the simple but charming melody of “Small Planets,” which leads us with a gentle hand into the wonderland of a track called “Gullfoss,” a fine example of Hytteballe’s ability to create a vast soundscape of musical bliss, with consummate ease.
From the rumbling oasis of sound in the preceding track, we are smoothly transported to a floating slice of genius called “The Sea.” This one was one of my personal favorites. Here is a piece I could see being used in a film soundtrack, it is so extremely pleasing to the mind, heart and ears.
“Sacred Places” has a sublime moody electronic element to it that will delight fans of this genre, and is a track so well composed and thought out, it takes me back to the glory days of the New Age music industry. Now listen very carefully to this piece and you may find a few interesting surprises contained within. The most important piece on the album is arguably the title track and here Hytteballe rises to the occasion with a deep searching composition that acts almost like a musical beacon in the night, “Glimpses.”
From the roof of my apartment I can watch the rippling Mediterranean Ocean glimmer in the late winter sun, and for a moment I glimpse the movement of a tail. Could this be a mermaid? They’re well known here and this stunningly moving arrangement would be ideal for any encounter as “Mermaids” is an absolutely mesmerizing track indeed.
We now slide with a graceful intent into the second half of the album and come across a real gem called “Follow Me.” This is a real downbeat composition that is played at such a slow tempo, that the melody will stick with you forever.
“Scandinavia” is another musical painting that graphically illustrates the location with a musical brushstroke.
The real opus on the album at just over twelve minutes is “Dreaming.” I have played this track several times now and each time I do so it moves me more and more. “Dreaming” creates space and pace as it manifests into a serenade of great quality and musicianship, it is undeniably smooth, patient and at times even haunting.
Glimpses is one of those quality albums that will bring you instant peace and contentment; take the track “Manifold,” for example. Here is a song that has passion, a sense of longing, and an emotional yearning that will draw a tear from your eye.
The penultimate track off the album is the mystical “Angels are Watching,” with a delightful steady build that hovers like the mist across an early summer lake. The keys are so delicately played here, that they create a sensitive frame of ambience for the listener.
We now end our sojourn with Henrik Hytteballe’s The Haiku Project and the album Glimpses with a piano driven piece called “Where Is My Horse?” The title maybe curious, but the music is outstanding, as is the entire album.
Glimpses is a clever title, Henrik Hytteballe is in a class all of his own and has created, via The Haiku Project, one of the most stunningly beautiful albums that you will have heard for a long time. He has manifested a release that is deeply meaningful and so musically blissful, that you will never want the experience to end
Glimpses by The Haiku Project 
