Norwegian recording label 2L has added three new immersive releases to AuroMasters this week, led by LUX, the Grammy-winning requiem from Nidarosdomens Jentekor and TrondheimSolistene. These 2L immersive releases continue the label’s practice of mixing and mastering every recording natively in Auro-3D rather than upmixing from stereo, and all three arrive in Auro 9.1 (5.1.4) at up to 96kHz/24-bit.
LUX: A Requiem Built From Chant and Saxophone
LUX centres on Andrew Smith’s Requiem, commissioned by Nidarosdomens Jentekor and its conductor Anita Brevik, loosely based on the Roman Catholic Mass for the dead. Several of the traditional texts are replaced with biblical references to children caught in conflict, and the musical material draws on Gregorian chant, with fragments of the old requiem mass surfacing quietly in the background. Trygve Seim’s improvising saxophone is woven through the piece alongside Ståle Storløkken on organ, in close conversation with the choir. Mixed and mastered by 2L founder Morten Lindberg, LUX went on to win the Grammy for Best Immersive Audio Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
Northern Timbre and Interactions Round Out the Week
Northern Timbre, from violinist Ragnhild Hemsing and pianist Tor Espen Aspaas, turns to Edvard Grieg, Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius, the three composers most closely associated with a distinct Nordic sound within the broader European Romantic tradition. Interactions, performed by Bård Monsen and Gunnar Flagstad, gathers three twentieth-century sonatas that each look backwards for inspiration: Fartein Valen’s late-Romantic writing draws on Bach’s counterpoint, Stravinsky’s neoclassical sonata borrows antique verse forms, and Witold Lutosławski’s more modernist piece leans on Baroque structure. Both albums, like LUX, are mixed and mastered by Morten Lindberg.
The 2L Immersive Releases Arrive Native in Auro-3D
All three 2L immersive releases are handcrafted rather than algorithmically upmixed, a distinction 2L has built its reputation on since Wilfried Van Baelen’s Auro-3D format first brought a height layer to conventional surround sound. AuroMasters streams the catalogue with adaptive bitrate up to Hi-Res Lossless, and listening only requires a phone and headphones, though a set-top box and an Auro-3D or Dolby Atmos-compatible speaker system unlocks the full immersive layer these three albums were built for.
A Label Built on Immersive Recording
2L, also known by its studio name Lindberg Lyd, has released immersive and surround recordings since the mid-2000s and has picked up dozens of Grammy nominations for Best Surround Sound Album and, more recently, Best Immersive Audio Album, making it one of the most consistently recognised classical labels working in multichannel and object-based formats. Every 2L immersive release, including this week’s three additions to AuroMasters, is recorded, mixed and mastered in Lindberg’s own studio rather than farmed out for a later surround remix, which is part of why the label’s catalogue has become a reference point for immersive audio demonstrations well beyond its native Norway.
Pricing and availability
The three new 2L immersive releases are available now via the AuroMasters app for iOS, Android and Android TV in Europe, the UK, the US and Japan. AuroMasters uses a credit-based model rather than a flat subscription, with full albums priced at roughly €1.50 to €2.00 depending on credit package, and users can buy credits directly through the AuroMasters website at up to 37 percent off in-app pricing. Full details are available via AuroMasters.
Key specifications
- Label: 2L (Lindberg Lyd), Norway, mixed and mastered by Morten Lindberg
- New releases: LUX (Nidarosdomens Jentekor & TrondheimSolistene), Northern Timbre (Ragnhild Hemsing & Tor Espen Aspaas), Interactions (Bård Monsen & Gunnar Flagstad)
- Format: Auro 9.1 (5.1.4) immersive, up to 96kHz/24-bit
- LUX: Grammy Award, Best Immersive Audio Album, 62nd Grammy Awards
- Platform: AuroMasters, adaptive-bitrate streaming up to Hi-Res Lossless
- Pricing: credit-based, approximately €1.50-€2.00 per album
- Availability: iOS, Android and Android TV, in Europe, the UK, the US and Japan
