Search - Various Artists :: Wizard Woman of North

The Wicked Witches of the North

Pat Mitchell | Larkspur, CA United States | 06/25/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The marketing pose is at best a bit silly, but this album exists in part because so many of the talented folk musicians of Scandinavia are women. You will find many of the best of the Norwegians here on this Norway-dominated CD including Annbjoerg Lien, Kirsten Braaten-Berg, Tone Hulbaekmo, Pernille Anker plus some other artists you may want to check out. Lien's two selections include 'Foenix', a fast-paced upbeat tune from her Prisme album and 'Myllargutens Brureslaatt' (The Miller Boy's Bridal Tune), a slow contemplative piece. Among several fiddlers, she stands out as usual. As on other collection albums, Tone Hulbaekmo's two pieces are by themselves nearly worth the price of admission, especially 'Illusion.' I can't yet describe her style of music; she has bent the norsk folk medium into a unique personal expression. Both of her pieces are from her 'Svevende Jord' (Floating Ground) album. The two Swedish selections are both by Susanne Rosenberg whose 'Anna Och Wilhelm' does not strictly adhere to western piano-ready seven note scale. Like many Scandinavian musicians of old traditions, her octave is divided into notes that fall between or just ignore the seven we are accustomed to. The Finnish selections include one song by Tallari and two by Tellu. I will leave the Finnish reviews to someone who understands Finn folk. But you might not want to play these three cuts on your office computer before you listen to it at home. Other Norwegian performances include pieces by Helene Hoeye, sometimes with Mari Eggen, which may be the most emotionally rich compositions on the album. 'The Harp' by Aurora Borealis also deserves special mention. Kirsten Braaten-Berg's sole contribution is my favorite of hers, Heiemo Og Nykkjen (Heiemo and The Water Sprite), which is also on Nordisk Sang - Songs From Norway. And Pernille Anker chimes in with one song and a written composition in English that is at once playful and ridiculous with its goddess mythology. I have so far only omitted Hege Rimestad, who deserves better, Susanne Lundeng, Aasne Sunniva Soereide and Sinikka Langeland. This album, despite the gimmickry in packaging, is a worthwhile 67 minutes of music."

Very good

Pat Mitchell | 03/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a satisfying record and a good introduction, for me, to this type of music (Nordic New Age/ Revival). What you will find in these 19 tracks is Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish women musicians remaking traditional tunes as well as presenting original work. The fiddle features as the main instrument in the record. Some are instrumentals and others feature either raw vocalization (for example, harpist Tone Hulbækmo's "Svevende Jord[Floating Earth]," a very beautiful track that begins with trance-like vocalization and relaxing music that breaks into a lively and elegant fiddle tune) or sung lyrics (Pernille Anker's "Gjendines bånlåt" is an acappella lullaby). Kirsten Bråten-Berg's "Heiemo og nykkjen" is a modern version of a traditional Norwegian song called "Noekken som belar," but her rendition, I think, is more obscure than the many traditional, regional versions from the 1800s. Sinikka Langeland's "Bridal song from Soloer" is another song in which I could hear Norwegian; she has a beautiful, bright voice. I'm glad to have a collection of music with these three languages, as one of the reasons I bought it was to help my Norwegian, but the lyrics are not printed, and the songs with lyrics are not easy to understand (they're obviously very regional and/or old). Another plus was Annbjoerg Lien's instrumental fiddle tracks, especially "Foenix." I was nervous when I first purchased it because I didn't want it to be 90% instrumental music, but I gained a new appreciation of the fiddle, thanks to the modern flavor of this old art that Lien and the others provide. I enjoyed the Swedish "Anna ock Wilhelm" by Susanne Rosenberg and the Finnish Tellu's "Tuulet[The Winds]." There were very few disappointing tracks (that I found too harsh or a bit screwball-sounding). A printed translation of a writing by Pernille Anker playfully talks about the modern Wizard Woman of the North, but I wish there had been more background to explain the songs, and I wanted the Norwegian lyrics. All in all, though, this is great music."

Wizard Women of the North

Pat Mitchell | 06/24/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Beautiful lilting women's voices - wonderful to listen to even if you can't understand the language. Folk music that transcends interpretation."