FIERY WESTERN TUNES WITH DUELLING FIDDLES
Behind this project is master fiddlers Jorun Marie Kvernberg and Britt Pernille Frøholm.
Determined to shine a light on old tunes from a bygone age. There is no sign of countryside modesty when these ladies pick up their instruments!
They play the tunes from Nordfjord and Sunnmøre with intensity and wildness only rivalled by the dramatic landscapes they represent.
The two fiddlers also own the record label Kviven records together, and have released two duo albums on this label.
The tunes from theyr area contains an unusual energy and nerve. There is no room for compromise when interpreting music that has lived in the fjords for hundreds of years.
The fiddlers hail from Hornindal and Volda, both villages that lay in the centre of the folk music tradition of respectively Nordfjord and Sunnmøre.
The biographies of our sources help us to interpret the tunes. Syvdsnesen competed with the world famous Ole Bull himself, but in the end found religion and burned his fiddle on his deathbed. Lars Eriksen Brendefur impressed prince Christian August with his playing during the Napoleonic Wars. And Myre-Mons was knocked unconscious by a cut off thumb that came flying through the air when he was playing at a wedding. We also found rich inspiration in the life story of the fearless Kvakksalvar-Guri, that would have been 249 years old today. She was an early role model of female empowerment, says Jorun Marie Kvernberg.
Passion for folk music is the basis of everything we do as solo artists and together with others. I like to bring the tradition into other genres like modern music and jazz. The tradition has a lot to offer. When me and Jorun Marie work together we get to immerse ourselves in our tradition and at the same time develop it further through the harmonies we create when playing together, tells Britt Pernille Frøholm.
For Kviven duo this represented an opportunity to increase the cultural exchange between the regions and blend lift up this ancient bond in traditional music.
KVIVEN RECORDS:
