Tri Vendur Blés ho i den høgaste sky Mathilde Grooss Viddal & Friensemblet

• 1 Subconsciousness 02:13
• 2 Valivan (The Pioneer) 08:20
• 3 Stolt Margjit (On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur) 02:50
• 4 Maria (Curie) 03:16
• 5 Maria Magdalena (Held in DisGrace) 04:07
• 6 Svätá Mária Egyptská (L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux) 08:23
• 7 Trollstemt (Harp Strings) 04:36
• 8 Frearlause (Outlaws) 02:36
• 9 Fastfrossen (Frozen Bounds) 03:05
• 10 Invisible Changes 05:01
• 11 Choral of the Shellfish (Selfies) 02:37
• 12 Kvinnemorderen (Scheherazade) 02:21
• 13 Gullborgs fanfare (Fearless Girl) 07:02
• Total Runtime 56:27

Info for Tri Vendur Blés ho i den høgaste sky

The commissioned piece “Tri vendur blés ho i den høgaste sky” offers a fresh blend of medieval ballads, newer folk music, contemporary jazz and tunes from the Middle East. Viddal paints a rich and varied tonal language that keeps us at the edge of our seat all the way through, so we can discern all the details and tones of the music that is a nomadic walk through space and time.

The rich heritage of Norwegian medieval ballad music has been revitalised in later years. FriEnsemblet presents a selection of these ballads, combining medieval traditions with contemporary jazz influences with two strong soloists: Norwegian folk singer Unni Bokasp and French-Syrian flute player Naïssam Jalal.

One of the elements opening the work to other dimensions is the basis of Norwegian medieval ballads and the tradition these ballads originated. This is a tradition primarily known within folk music environments. At the same time, the ballads are an integral part of folk beliefs, storytelling and legends, and a reservoir of earlier understandings of nature. As a second phenomenon, the Norwegian ballad tradition can be understood in a more global and globalized context. Some ballads seem to have travelled; versions exist in different languages and musical cultures.

From this connection arises a music that is at the same time local and global. Viddal has chosen ballads that spoke to her, that have some relation to her own biography and family background, but also ballads that are good starting points for the musical work she is doing. Here is composition and improvisation in a balanced way, where different musical languages are in dialogue, in a multiplicity of voices that still feels like an intimate field. The liveness of the work seems to underscore that no matter how many different voices can be discerned, they still exist together, in a common space. The past and the distant are both drawn into a heightened awareness in the here and now. It is as if tradition itself sounds like the difference between some “old” style and the current re-interpretation, where the old style is a kind of shadow of what we hear. This shadow might not be entirely different from what is sometimes called soul.

The local dimension of the music is perhaps most easily heard in the Norwegian lyrics and singing style, further on to the Hardanger violin. At the same time, the work opens up an expanded sonic field, inspired by Andalusian music, Arabic maqamat, Medieval and Middle Eastern music, Catholic folk beliefs, and past love stories. All these dimensions contribute to a work of musical generosity. Viddal’s compositions are respectful towards the traditions involved, while together with her musicians letting the traditions speak to us today. The various local traditions come together in dialogues across history and geography. Maybe music is a way – a portal – to another time and space, a place where we can move between different times and spaces. I am not entirely willing to think so, but a part of me wants to believe. (Erik Steinskog, September 2024)

"Other highlights from the Norwegian side of the (Molde)festival included reedist and composer Mathilde Grooss Viddal’s performance with her tenet, FriEnsemblet" (John Murph, DownBeat)

Friensemblet:
Mathilde Grooss Viddal, saxophone, bass-and contrabass clarinet
Naïssam Jalal, flute, vocals
Unni Boksasp, vocals
Kristoffer Berre Alberts, alto saxophone
Per Willy Aaserud, trumpet, electronics
Øyvind Brække, trombone
Britt Pernille Frøholm, Hardingfele, violin
Tellef Kvifte, keyboards, laptop, electronics, flute
Knut Kvifte Nesheim, drums, vibraphone
Egil Kalman, bass

Mathilde Grooss Viddal
Eine der führenden EnsemblekomponistInnen, ArrangeurInnen und OrchesterleiterInnen des Nordens; vier CD-Veröffentlichungen mit ”Friensemblet”, die Jazzkritiker aus mehreren Kontinenten begeistert haben. Mit verschiedenen Bands und in verschiedenen Besetzungen gab sie Konzerte im In- und Ausland. Mathilde Grooss Viddal schrieb unter anderem Auftragswerke für ’Henie Onstad Kunstsenter’, BIME internationales Marionettenfestival, Ingreja de Sao Vicente, 40-jähriges Jubiläum Vossajazz 2013. Sie ist außerdem auf zig CD-Veröffentlichungen mit dabei. In 2006 erhielt sie das dreijährige Künstlerstipendium des Landes Norwegen. Sie spielt in erster Linie als freie Impro-Musikerin. Sie ist Leiterin des ’Friensemblet’, spielt in Nunatak, Lucky Loop, Ellayali und dem Eick/Viddal Duo.

This album contains no booklet.