The Nordics Unveiled

The Nordics Unveiled is back after a short Christmas break, and Eldbjørg Hemsing is welcoming you to join her exploration of the Nordic. In the new episode, she is joint by composer Synne Skouen, without exaggerating one of the most prominent people in Norwegian music life. Celebrated as a composer, recipient of numerous awards and accolades, highly respected journalist and music critic, and we could continue naming. Synne was also the first editor-in chief of the music journal Ballade and head of cultural channels at Norwegian Broadcaster NRK.Celebrating her 70th birthday in 2020, Synne continues inspiring generations of women across the cultural field.“I have said this a few times to some of the performers – if you are not really working with living composers and only playing the big masterworks, then you are surfing on all the previous generations of artists that have been building this tradition. And to put it simply, it is just not fine to do so and not even fun.”Synne Skouen, The Nordics Unveiled«…there is certainly not an easy answer to character of the North, but if you come from Europe to Copenhagen, then you come to Scandinavia or the North. If on the other hand you go from Oslo to Copenhagen, then you come to Europe. And if going from Oslo to Stockholm or Copenhagen, you can also see where the rich North has been before the arrival of oil to Norway.”Synne Skouen, The Nordics Unveiled“… composer does not know everything about their music and it takes a musician to show them what is there. The best thing that can happen to a composer is to work with musicians, where they bring out something that even them didn’t know it is there.”Synne Skouen, The Nordics Unveiled“I think its important to get the opportunity at the very young age to get to see your own country and culture from the outside. It is necessary and I wish many would be able to experience it. I was very privileged to get to experience this with studying in Vienna.”Synne Skouen, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about Synne Skouen and her music on the following link.

The guest of the last pre-Christmas Nordics Unveiled episode is the exciting and outspoken music journalist and presenter Per Sundnes. A familiar face in Scandinavia, Per is known for his pop culture expertise, specialized in music and fashion. Per attended the University of Arts London, with focus on film and TV, and has since 2002 worked at the Norwegian broadcasting corporation NRK. His most known tv programs include the Store Studio and Norwegian part of the Eurovision Song Contest.“In my opinion Norwegian artists in modern era were never ‘hungry enough’, because if you are hungry then you do like A-Ha did for example, go abroad to either UK or Germany and get a big label there.”Per Sundnes, The Nordics Unveiled“If there is something that is original about the Nordic pop culture, being Norwegian, Swedish, Finish or Russian is the indigenous Sami.”Per Sundnes, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about Per Sundnes and the new episode following link.

In the new episode of the Nordics Unveiled, Eldbjørg Hemsing is joint by one of Europe’s most accomplished and innovative percussionists Terje Isungset. With over two decades of experience in jazz and Scandinavian music, Terje has already made a significant mark in pushing the musical boundaries far beyond tradition. His distinctive artistic works are exploring the interdisciplinary performances of sound and shamanistic rituals.Crafting his own instruments from natural elements such as arctic birch, granite, slate, sheep bells and most remarkably the ice. Terje is highly recommended to those sensible to the poetry and simplicity of sounds, with ‘timbres’ and ‘colours’ being central in his music and compositions.Media praises him as innovative, visual, energetic and different from any previously known concepts. Percussion Profiles publication has listed him among the 25 of the world’s most creative percussionists and he was also named the Norwegian Jazz musician of the year.“It was years ago, when I was asked to do a concert in a frozen waterfall in Lillehammer. I thought what should we do, work against or with nature? So I decided to work with nature, went to location and started to collect stones, wood and since I was there in the winter I also checked the ice… When I head the sound of ice and saw it, I just simply fell in love and from then on, cannot stop it.“Terje Isungset, The Nordics Unveiled"First you need to harvest the ice, which is the most challenging part. But even before harvesting, it is crucial to know that the lake (where the ice will be harvested from) has sound – not every lake has the sound. If the ice is there, I can make instrument in between two to three days. Then we can make various types of horns, ice drums, iceophones that can be tuned."Terje Isungset, The Nordics Unveiled"If I go to perform in India, China or Japan, we always make the instruments there. Sometimes I bring a little box of ice also from Norway, because I have experienced, for example in Japan that it is difficult to find a well-sounding ice. I can of course always tune it, but the sound difference would effect the music because of the resonance. The range of sound is really big, from a completely death sound, to almost singing. The longest resonance I had with one instrument was 18 seconds."Terje Isungset, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about Terje Isungset and his music on the following link.

Hallgrim Hansegård has truly made a name with bringing the rich traditional folk dance 'halling' to the global audiences, both through live performances, TV productions and even video games. Known for his innovative and playful dance projects, Hallgrim is continuously breaking physical, psychological and cultural barriers. His projects had been performed in more than 30 countries and have reached over 100 million views on YouTube. Most interestingly, his performance has also been censored by Catholic Church in Italy. Hallgrim has in 2006 founded his own dance company FRIKAR, artistically leading a space where Norwegian traditional folk dance and other sub-cultures within dance community can experiment, develop and nurture the heritage by sharing it to the future generations. "In the Nordic countries we share a common heritage of social dances, with a lot of whirling in a couple formation. There is a common use of circle dances, but Halling is kind of different, almost a 'Flamingo dance of the Nordics'. ... I tend to disagree from the majority of dances who believe Halling is a male dance, as there is several written sources from 1700 about high-quality female dancers."Hallgrim Hansegård, The Nordics Unveiled"It is both interesting and strange that we have such big regional differences. Even in the mood with music and dance. In the Southern part of Norway they are known for a more dark mood, heaviness in the dance. And in Valdres, most of Hallings are pretty happy and light, and our Springar is the most leaning forward, which is really good for the trance dancing."Hallgrim Hansegård, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about Hallgrim Hansegård and his work with FRIKAR work on the following link.

Guest of the new episode of "The Nordics Unveiled" is renowned Norwegian art historian and curator Dr. Knut Ljøgodt. Previously working at the National Gallery in Oslo, as Director at the Northern Norway Art Museum in Tromsø and Founding Director of Kunsthall Svalbard, dr. Ljøgodt is today leading the Nordic Institute of Art, which he co-founded in 2017. His curatorial work has been praised both in the Nordics and internationally. As a leading scholar on Nordic and European 19th century art, including Romantic landscape painting and history painting, he is the perfect guest to unveil the mysteries of the Nordic of fine arts. “We have many images of the North – what do we mean by the North, is it just generally the Nordic region (Norden) or individual Nordic countries. The Swedish national anthem has the line ‘Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden.’ or ‘I will live, I will die in the North’, but for the Swedes the North is Sweden. When we speak about the far North, or as we like to call it today the Arctic, above the Polar circle, Svalbard, Spitzbergen, North Pole, the image about Scandinavia and particularly Arctic has been seen as mystery, part of danger, dark place.”Dr. Knut Ljøgodt, The Nordics Unveiled“It is interesting to look at Nordic region as a whole, rather than as specific countries. Even though we know 19th century artists were striving to create the national identity, the culture of the region is so close that it makes more sense to be discussing it as a whole, rather than seeing it in national contexts. And at the same time the challenge of course is that most of the art, music or literature history is written from the national point of view.”Dr. Knut Ljøgodt, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about dr. Knut Ljøgodt and his curatorial work on the following link.

The bold and charismatic Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje is most definitely on the forefront, when it comes to the musical avant-garde, known for stark contrasts and a nuanced balances. She is celebrated and awarded with prizes both in Scandinavia and abroad, including the Edvard Prize and prestigious UNESCO Rostrum Award.  "The Nordic expression in music can be clear, often very strong and intimate. It's probably not the right to say it in such way, but it is 'very often to the point'. Even in making complex contemporary music, there is still a clear music expression. Arne Nordheim, probably the most famous Norwegian composer after Edvard Grieg, is the first name that comes to my mind, when people talk about Nordic music. And it is still full of warmth, directness and in some way comfort." Maja S. K. Ratkje, The Nordics Unveiled"We need to re-define what the Nordic identity is, as the world around is changing and we are becoming a bigger part of it. We need artistic reflections on what the rest of the world does to us and not only being nostalgic. We need the good art that lifts up the dark spaces and criticizes things that we too often take for granted. We need art that is beautiful in new ways and does not play only on clichés."Maja S. K. Ratkje, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about Maja S. K. Ratkje and her music on the following link.

Ottar Kåsa is renowned Hardanger fiddle player and violinmaker, praised for making first class instruments. After attending the prestigious Ole Bull Academy in Voss, he established his own workshop, continuing nurturing the expertise of craftmanship of Hardanger fiddle making and playing.The oldest found Hardanger fiddle dates back to a year 1651, belonging to Ole Jonsen Jaastad (1621 – 1694), who lived in the village of Ullensvang in Hardanger. Frequently referred also as “the instrument of the Devil”. Hardanger fiddle throughout the centuries remained an important part of Norwegian social and cultural heritage.In modern designs, Hardanger fiddle is very similar to violin, though with either 8 or 9 strings (rather than four as on a standard violin) and thinner wood. Four of the strings are strung and played like a violin, while the rest, aptly named understrings or sympathetic strings resonate under the influence of the other four.The instrument is often highly decorated, with a carved animal (usually with a dragon or Lion of Norway), extensive inlay with the mother of pearl on tailpiece and fingerboard as well as the black ink decorations called “rosing” on the body of the instrument.More information about Ottar Kåsa and the heritage of Hardanger fiddle on the following link.

In the new episode of the Nordics Unveiled, Eldbjørg Hemsing is joint by the exceptional multi-faceted artist Mette Henriette. Norwegian Sami saxophonist, composer and performing artist has been captivating audiences and critiques around the globe – the youngest artist to be signed to the legendary label ECM, Mette’s debut album was also named the “Jazz Record of the year” (Independent)."Having both Norwegian and Sami roots, this diverse origin taught me a lot about the cultural perspective. In contrast to the Western cultures, indigenous people have nurtured the relationship to the nature in a different way. And here the landscape has profoundly shaped people’s emotional as well as their time perception." Mette Henriette, The Nordics UnveiledAn artistic voice of today, Mette Henriette joins Eldbjørg Hemsing for a conversation about her inspiration and connection to the nature in the North, discovery of her Sami heritage and the Nordic sound."I think all the impressions and experiences that we have and we share here in the North are unique. Nature is certainly one of the big shapers on how to interact with our surroundings. Just looking at the spectrum of emotions, in lightness and light or the darkness. Too frequently it is either negative or positive connotations, instead of being the beauty that can be explored through creative crafts and expression forms" Mette Henriette, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about Mette Henriette and her music on the following link.

Nordic sound is not easy to describe, when being part of the scene yourself (...) Perhaps there is not really a Nordic sound, but rather a Nordic rhythm. I perceive there is a different temporality in the music of Nordic countries, including Baltic. Lasse Thoresen, The Nordics UnveiledMore information about Lasse Thoresen and his music on the following link.

The lyrical, melancholic and often cautious optimists are a key words to explain what can often be characterized as Nordic. The clean, simple and often pictorial. At the same time, it is a courage and a force to be reckoned with, as can be drawn from Nordic fairy tales, often with a warm humor. Many of these features also appear in other artistic disciplines. How has history shaped us and what can we learn from who we are today?