Somewhere in a Hidden Memory is a very soothing and peaceful collection of fifteen Celtic harp solos by Trine Opsahl. Born in Norway, Opsahl moved to Denmark at the age of six. Her first instrument was the accordion, for which she won national and international prizes in her adolescence. She graduated from law school and became an attorney for the Danish Justice Department. A series of life-changing events occurred that caused Opsahl to explore and practice healing arts. This eventually led her to abandon her career as an attorney to follow her heart’s true desire. She acquired her first Celtic harp in 1996 and began composing music on it as soon as her fingers stroked the strings. She established herself as renowned harpist in Europe and released three CDs which were recently released in the US. Opsahl performs in concerts, plays at weddings, festivals, funerals, and local church services; she also enjoys teaching Celtic harp. The work she loves most is playing at the bedside of hospice patients to help facilitate peaceful transitions. Quoting her, “Music has a unique ability to bring silence and rest to a busy mind and to those who suffer from illness and distress.” Somewhere in a Hidden Memory is very calming and soothing either in the background or to actively listen to and get lost in.

The album begins with “To a Wild Rose” (an original composition, not the classic by Edward MacDowell), a very gentle but evocative melody played simply and from the heart. “A Star in Heaven is Born Tonight” is a favorite. Very peaceful and full of grace, the harp almost speaks, telling a magical tale of a star’s birth. “Sister Moon” has more of a folk feel - a short and very touching piece. “The Light Dances my Love” makes me think of sparks of light “dancing” on water, casting a hypnotic spell. “Ladybirds and Butterflies” paints a lovely portrait of some of nature’s gentlest and most endearing winged creatures. The motion of the piece is slow and graceful, making it easy to visualize butterflies flitting from one place to the next - another favorite. I also really like the tender and bittersweet “Love Waltz.” “Ripples in Water” picks up the tempo a bit with a rhythmic and sparkling piece that captures the essence of water’s gentle movement. The title track is both gorgeous and poignant, speaking truths from the soul - my favorite of the set. “Be my Vision and my Light” ends our lovely journey with something of a hymn or prayer.

Somewhere in a Hidden Memory is one of the best harp albums I’ve heard and is available from trineopsahl.com, Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby. Check it out!