Benedicte Maurseth / Berit Opheim//

 

TIDEKVERV

 

Berit Opheim: vocals

Benedicte Maurseth: Hardanger fiddle, vocals

Rolf Lislevand: lute, electric guitar, electric bass

Håkon Mørch Stene: Vibraphone, percussion, electronics

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Two of Norway's most prominent female folk musicians, Berit Opheim and Benedicte Maurseth have written a new work of folk music entitled Tidekverv, arranged in collaboration with their fellow musicians. 

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The piece is composed using traditional folk music's style, tonality and form, with infusions of Baroque elements, contemporary music and improvisation, and will thematically honour the longest and shortest days, and the days when day and night are the same length, namely the summer solstice, winter solstice, spring equinox and autumn equinox.

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Tidekverv was premiered on the day of the spring equinox. The text to Tidekverv is written by the two award-winning authors Bergsveinn Birgisson and Erlend O. Nødtvedt. Maurseth wanted them to write a text together in classical ballad style, like one of Norway's most famous ballads, Draumkvedet. Very few of today's poets work within this style, and little new text material is written in the Norwegian folk music tradition in general. Tidekverv therefore is a project that honours, conserves and renews a central, historic Norwegian poetic form.