Benedicte Maurseth - Hárr CD

An homage to the wildlife and mountain people of Benedicte Maurseth’s home area in Hardanger

“This is a beautiful shapeshifter of an album. Part a portrait of a landscape, part the opening of a veil on some family history, part nature walk in Norway. It’s satisfying and strangely elusive, all at the same time. The music follows winding paths of the imagination, mixing Maurseth’s Hardanger fiddle with subtly-placed electronics and other instruments to create a moving, inviting bed of sound. “Heilo,” for instance, the longest piece on the disc, presents an utterly different artist from her 2019 solo release. Or does it? The music certainly isn’t traditional by any means, but the nature, the history that goes back generations – what is that but tradition? No pyrotechnics here, no devil’s trills. It’s Maurseth, embracing the past and touching the ground that has formed who she is. The result is gently majestic.» - Chris Nicson (Rootsworld)

The acclaimed and innovative visionary musician Benedicte Maurseth is coming forth with the wonderful all-consuming album Hárr. The sound of her magic Hardanger fiddle is woven seamlessly together with that of birds and the other musicians’ musical impressions. Always moving forward with a steely calm disposition, the record draws you into a world where one feels to be one with nature, wandering over a mountain plateau. Benedicte was raised in Maurset in Eidfjord – near Hardangervidda National Park – and has hiked through the mountains her whole life, clearly laying the foundation for this musical expedition.