The album takes its title from a line by German Romantic poet Joseph von Eichendorff, reflecting the trio’s interest in the forest as both a physical environment and a metaphorical space. Across a collection of improvised compositions, atmospheric textures and lyrical phrasing, the music moves between inner and outer landscapes, with intuition playing an important role in how the pieces take shape. Artistic figures including Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy and John Atkinson Grimshaw provide further points of reference for the album’s exploration of nature and ambiguity.

Founded by pianist and composer Simon Oberleitner and drummer Konstantin Kräutler-Horváth, the trio was joined by bassist Oliver Steger in 2025, completing its current lineup. Together, they have developed a distinctive approach to the piano trio format, combining jazz improvisation with electroacoustic detail, prepared piano, field recordings, looping and subtle electronics. Their previous albums Wendolins Monocle, Crumbling Light and Light Works have explored themes of transformation, perception and scale, with the latter released by Col Legno in 2024 in collaboration with vocal ensemble Company of Music.

Hour of the Owl has received international recognition from publications including Jazzmagazine France, Mainly Piano, Jazzwise, Jazzpodium and Jazzenzo, while Austrian broadcaster ORF Ö1 has praised their ability to create music that “almost brings time to a standstill.” Their performances have taken them to venues and festivals including Vienna Konzerthaus, Porgy & Bess, Volkstheater Vienna, Montforter Zwischentöne, Musiktheater Linz and the International Jazz Piano Festival in Kalisz, Poland.

With As though the sky had silently kissed the earth, Hour of the Owl continues to expand the possibilities of the jazz piano trio, using carefully shaped textures, improvisation and lyrical composition to explore a world where nature and human experience constantly overlap.