Elisabeth Vatn - Piper on the Roof ensemble
Piper on the Roof is (Folkelarm director) Elisabeth Vatn’s latest bag-pipe ensemble which album-debuted to critical acclaim earlier this year. Originally a classically trained pianist, Vatn began her bag-pipe career during a stay in Macedonia in 1993. Later she would learn of the existence of a Nordic/Swedish variant of the instrument and Vatn is currently one of the instrument’s few practitioners – having put down a considerable effort into the work of preserving the Swedish bag-pipe tradition and finding a contemporary context for the distinct instrument’s rich timbre. As a performer, Vatn has been active across the genre spectrum, performing in classical settings, with improv ensembles, in pop/rock groups as well as a wide variety of traditional folk music outfits. Vatn has released critically acclaimed albums with such ensembles as Tigerlily, Chateu Neuf Spelemannslag and Harnihomba – as a classical performer she put out a duo piano recording of Messiaen’s ‘Visions de L’Amen’. Additional 2009 projects includes a collaboration with renowned improv artist, organist and contemporary composer Nils Henrik Aasheim, composition of a commissioned work for the Norwegian Concert Institute and a string of solo live performances.
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Himmelkvad
Celebrated vocal ensemble Nordic Voices is currently out on its promo tour for their new outing ‘Himmelkvad’, a critically acclaimed album presenting Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s unique vocal universe. MIC Norway takes a closer look at the cutting-edge vocal ensemble and ground-breaking composer.
I was the devil in my younger years
Late Feb sees Enslaved heading out on a month-long European tour. MIC Norway hooked up with Enslaved’s Ivar Peersen to talk about musical cross pollination, inspirational sources, humour and his fascination for singer-songwriter Stein Torleif Bjella.
