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Many believe that folk music is the genre that gives the clearest picture of people’s life condition, dreams, and hopes. The music of Härjedalen is no exception. It tells of barren landscapes and a tough life full of hard work, often bordering on the impossible. Yet there is also an element of joy and festivity that reflects the people’s need to muster stamina and drive to face the toil of everyday life.
The traditional peasant journeys by sleigh to the markets of Röros and Hudiksvall explain why the music of Härjedalen is reminiscent more of the music of Norway and Hälsingland than any other neighboring region. The mixture of eighth-note and triplet polska in the west and the dark and suggestive sixteenth-note polska in the east traces the wanderings of music in and out of this largely isolated landscape.
With our new CD (out for sale in the end of May 2008) we are bringing a great cultural treasure to an even wider audience and with tunes tell of a time marked by trouble and toil where music and dance played a big role..
Anders Thunell (born 1981) from Linsell has been involved with folk music since the very first time he picked up a fiddle in the early nineties, as the result of an exciting theatre performance in his hometown. Quite early on he met the leading folk musician Greger Brändström, who taught him all the treasures of Härjedalen tunes. In this recording Anders plays first violin throughout on a standard fiddle.
Olav L Mjelva (born 1983) from Röros is a familiar face on the Norwegian folk music scene. His main instruments are the fiddle and the Harding fiddle. He has deep roots in the Röros and Hallingdal tradition. Olav is regularly sought after for various band and studio projects, mostly on the Norwegian side of the border. Olav and Anders have known one another for many years and their collaboration has now resulted in this recording on which Olav plays second violin on a standard and alto fiddle.
