25.09.24, 20:00, Bjarte Eike & Barokksolistene, The Nordic Sessions

Don’t let the fact that for most of its history, and certainly in the 18th century, Norway was a backward provincial backwater (dixit Norwegian baroque violinist Bjarte Eike) stop you from enjoying its very own musical culture and folk melodies. Fair enough, most of those melodies originally came from England, Holland, France, Germany, … pretty much all of Europe, in other words, but the Norwegians put them to their liking with ease. A minuet was renamed ‘Springleik’, a polonaise ‘Folia’, and before you could say Lutefisk, they were part of Norwegian heritage.

In ‘The Nordic Sessions’, Bjarte and his ensemble Barokksolistene explore the connections between folk and art music from a time before these concepts really existed. You can expect a mix of masterful Norwegian and Celtic tunes, served on a platter of anecdotes and stories from beer houses — Olaf drunk in a tavern, caught with the innkeeper’s wife — ; weddings — Olaf drunk caught with the bride — ; funerals – Olaf drunk caught with… (you get where this is going) — ; and much more. Punishing music and punishing stories — Olaf was apparently quite a slob — ‘The Nordic Sessions’ give it all to you.