I told you about Ragnhild Hemsing last year, when she visited the Montréal Baroque 2023 Festival. The Norwegian violinist is a master not only of the classical violin, but also of the traditional Norwegian fiddle known as the Hardanger. She alternates between recordings of works from the classical repertoire (like this one, listed on Pan M 360) and folk albums. Vetra is one of these. But it’s a little more than that, with a trumpet that sometimes plays jazz, enriched by a viola, a cello, a double bass, percussion and two langeleiks (traditional zithers). On top of all that, Hemsing’s rustic Hardanger ornaments, sings, comments and carries the Nordic soul of thousand-year-old Norway. A particular favourite is Nu rinder solen op af Østerlide (The sun rises over the eastern horizon), with its poignant melody beautifully coloured by the ensemble’s eclectic instrumentation.
Read the interview I conducted with Ragnhild Hemsing in 2023:
