Ketil Hvoslef (b. 1939) is a productive, versatile and undogmatic composer who — even now, in his 80's — continues to write music at a furious pace. Hvoslef's style is characterized by an economy of means, the accumulation of latent energy, rhythmical ingenuity and, often, an element of humour.

"Hvoslef Chamber Works No. VIII" is the next to last in a series of nine albums of Ketil Hvoslef's chamber music. The idea to document 38 of Hvoslef's chamber music works on CD was initiated by violinist Ricardo Odriozola and pianist Einar Røttingen, both with backgrounds spanning many years of cooperation with the composer. The recordings draw from the vast pool of performers in Bergen, where the composer lives and works. The musicians are primarily from the Grieg Academy (University of Bergen) and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

KETIL HVOSLEF is Norway's most prolific composer of concertos, with 20 to date. He has written three operas, numerous works for orchestra, and a wealth of chamber music. Hvoslef's vocal music is of particular interest in that it includes, for the most part, "nonsense texts".

Hvoslef's style is characterized by an economy of means, the accumulation of latent energy, rhythmical ingenuity and, often, an element of humour. He has repeatedly said that he wishes for his listeners to lean forward on the edge of their chairs rather than sit back.

There is, in Hvoslef's music, always a sense of anticipation, a feeling that it is on its way to somewhere unknown, which in turn makes the experience of each moment all the more intense. There is always transparency in the music, allowing it to breathe and making it possible for the listener to follow what is happening in it.