1. A Night at the Opera by Queen (1975)

“I listened to this over and over again when I was eight years old. I learned all the songs at the piano, and played along with it as much as I could. There are a lot of contrasts in this music, a fabulous musical journey that has so many moods and colours in it, and probably was a big inspiration for my composing when I was a kid.”

2. Heavy Metal Be-Bop by The Brecker Brothers (1978)

“This was such an enormous inspiration, both Michael Brecker's extraordinary playing, but also the compositions. The energy and groove of this live record really blew me away.”

3. The Survivors’ Suite by Keith Jarrett (1977)

“A fantastic record with a fantastic band. Four musicians who sound like they can take the music wherever they want, telling a story that really touches me every time I listen to it. A very special record.”

4. The Way Up by Pat Metheny Group (2005)

“This was an eye-opener to me from a compositional view. The epic long suite, the shape of it, and of course the playing, to me this is a very unique record.”

5. Let Me Tell You by Hans Abrahamsen (2016)

“This is music that I cannot explain, it’s just such fantastic composing and orchestrating. I listen to Let Me Tell You again and again, and always discover new, small details in the music. Barbara Hannigan’s singing on this is a huge inspiration for my sax playing as well.”

Marius Neset’s latest album Geyser (Live at Royal Albert Hall - BBC Proms) is out now on ACT Music