MAJORSTUEN
Live in Concert
Majorstuen Fiddler’s Co. 04

www.majorstuen.biz/

They may not be widely known outside Norway, but the five-piece fiddler’s collective Majorstuen (which once included Ragnhild Furebotten) has been around for a decade and this live recording celebrates that anniversary. It comes after four studio albums and a compilation, and covers the spectrum of their career. With five violins it’s not so much as string section as a small orchestra, and quite capable of a stirring swoop of sound, as they prove on the glorious “Hjelmeset.” There are careful shadings in the music, and “So Ro” sounds dark, especially for a lullaby. Inevitably, there’s a rousing polka set, several tunes strung together, with a sound that sounds like fin-de-siecle Vienna gone absolutely mad (in the best possible way). There’s real delicacy and sorrow in “Vemod” before closing with “Rett Vest Med Eric Öst,” long one of the staples of their live set. They’re accomplished and professional, but still with all the drive and joy of a young band. Maybe in their second decade their international reputation will justifiably grow.

— Chris Nickson