THE ENGEGÅRD QUARTET’S CREATIONS: A CLASSICAL JOURNEY THROUGH NORWEGIAN FOLK SONGS
3 min read
I don’t know how people do this music thingy but you see The Engegard Quartet who are popularly known for making classic music, man they understand this shit well and it’s no doubt I’m hooked and listening to every release they have now. Wow, the way they manipulate those violins are soo much a joy to watch and listen to. The sentiment it comes with, the hope and calmness it gives, then above all the storytelling, it’s captivating and well they have finally taken a turn into Norwegian Folk songs and the results is absolutely beautiful and it shows you how talented and versatile they really are.
Well they have some surprises for us as they’ve made a 5 part video series which they plan on releasing throughout 2024. These were filmed amidst the amazing scenery of Lofoten in collaboration with Aurora Borealis Multimedia AS. The videos includes “En smuk Aftensang”, a song which talks about an evening prayer from Kvæfjord and put together by Bjørn Andor Drage. This song is Soo calm and feels like a dirge but far from it, it creates this atmosphere where it’s all calm and like you asking for a precious gift in prayer, it gives you that nostalgic feel of when empires use to rule. Such an amazing piece that deserves your attention. Then moving on you come to the track “Skotsk”, a song which is about a dance from Lom in Central Norway. This song comes in hot and intriguing with this ballet vibes that the empires use to have in their dinners and parties. It gives you a feel of those era and I love those violins interplay soo much that I found myself dancing a ballet which I don’t even know how to, wow, classic, authentic and enjoyable. The next track is “Bruremarsj fra Eide” which is basically about Norwegian wedding march and it’s a really interesting piece of work to watch and then “Yoik Suite” which is about a duet die Hardanger fiddles by Sigmund Lillebjerk.
And the highlight of the work, “Haugelat”, which mixes traditional folk strings and Grieg’s Opus 72 to tell a story about a farmer who’s going around searching for his escaped bull and it is absolutely poetic. Pure artistic creation, it creates this atmosphere of wondering and searching for your precious gem. The listener is glued by the melodious switches of calm and rush hours. Which hints at how sometimes you need to rush to able to catch up and find your gem or the cattle and sometimes you need to be slow, calm and search well for that gem or cattle. Such an intriguing masterpiece. The way it allows you to ponder on life’s choices and every reaction for each situation is intriguing, so I say this is indeed a 10/10 solid project that deserves your attention.
Well these creations goes on to show the Quartet’s ability to tell any story however they want with any beats, then their ability to even blend those moments with authenticity is unmatched. The way those violins interplay consumes you and makes you wanna listen to them all day is amazing and I kept asking myself how? How? Especially the song “Haugelat”. Then the way they arranged them after each other just makes the listening experience even better. So why don’t you go ahead and give them a listen and trust me, your music taste will change and you will become a fan. ENJOY!! Make sure to check them out on the links below for more;
https://www.instagram.com/engegardquartet/
https://www.youtube.com/c/Engeg%C3%A5rdkvartettenOslo
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