Rota: Music By Grieg / Halvorsen / Bull / Svendsen

On Røta, her debut album with Berlin Classics, Ragnhild Hemsing presents her Norwegian roots on the violin and Hardanger fiddle, thereby placing her identity and the link to her musical training centre stage. Central to this theme is the relationship between classical and Norwegian folk music and the contrast between the different sounds of the two instruments. Ragnhild Hemsing, in compiling Røta, has recorded works by famous Norwegian composers alongside four different folk melodies for the Hardanger fiddle from her homeland. "I find it very interesting to combine the repertoire of composers who were inspired by folk music and the traditions of their individual homelands," is how Hemsing explains her choice of works for this album. Ole Bull, Edvard Grieg, Johan Svendsen and Johan Halvorsen are famous Norwegian composers of the nineteenth century, whose music gives her a cozy, reassuring feeling of "home". Together with Mario Häring at the piano and Benedict Kloeckner on cello she embarks on a journey through her native country's sound world. All of the composers featured on the album were closely affiliated with their homeland and were in contact with each other, exchanging ideas. Bull, for instance, provided Grieg with inspiration, who in his turn was a very close friend of both Halvorsen and Svendsen. The beauty of Norway, it's characteristic traits and landscape, is palpable; it can be heard and sensed in the music. Grieg's Lyric Suite (op. 54) is a reflection of mystic nature, with reminiscences of quiet nights, hiking outdoors and finally the March of the Trolls.