Aslak O Brimi and Erlend Viken
This vital and charismatic duo consists of two young fiddle players from Lom and Oppdal in Norway. Both Aslak and Erlend were raised in families with rich folk music traditions, and the two share the view of the importance of conservation and development of traditional music from their own area. The two are widely regarded as exceptional soloists, and have accomplished strong results in national folk music competitions. Aslak and Erlend’s initial meeting took place at a domestic festival a decade ago and they have not missed any opportunity to perform together in the ensuing years. In may 2009 they released their debut, the album ‘Duo’ in partnership with key Norwegian record label ta:lik. ‘Duo’ features traditional tunes that have been hits for several generations, but the majority of the repertoire on the cd has seen few performances in later years. The interplay between Aslak and Erlend is inspired of both old and new interplay traditions. They play in unison and in octaves, but they also are enthused about music of their own times. Several tunes have more advanced harmonies, and show what opportunities that lay in the old tunes. The result becomes a tight and progressive sound, always with focus on the melodies.
Headlines:
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.
