HARALD HAUGAARD
Den Femste Søster
Westpark 0511

www.westparkmusic.de
 

Harald Haugaard might still be best remembered as half of Haugaard & Høirup, but for the last few years he’s been forging his own career. This second solo release builds on his debut and takes it in a slightly different direction. Danish folk music is still the inspiration behind most of his compositions, but the ideas of it are more a springboard to his own compositions. This album is very much a group work, with all the musicians contributing to the arrangements, making it less about Haugaard’s superb fiddling, although that does take center stage, and more about the pieces as a whole. In that regard it works well, allowing for greater development of the music and fuller statements. There’s no shortage of ambition in the compositions, including a three movement string quartet. But even the roots of that are in Danish folk, and given that Danish folk has its roots in 18th century English music, there’s a curiously formal feel to it. Ultimately, much of the music here is for dancing, although dissonant interludes like “Nacht Auf Der Inself” break things up. Although largely an instrumental disc, “Alt Hvad Vi Drømte” brings in the singing of Haugaard’s wife to round things off in glorious fashion.

— Chris Nickson