Benedicte Maurseth & Asne Vall - Over Tones [CD]

Over Tones is the highly attractive ECM debut of two exceptional folk musicians from the West of Norway - Benedicte Maurseth who plays the Hardanger fiddle and sings, and vocalist Åsne Valland Nordli. The pair have found personal ways to extend the essence of a great tradition - through historically-informed interpretation of old music and also through their own pieces. The purity of the delivery, of old music and new music alike, makes this a timeless performance. <p>Both musicians are well established in their homeland. Benedicte Maurseth (born 1983 in Eidfjord in Hardanger) studied with Hardanger fiddle master Knut Hamre, and also at the Ole Bull Academy. She came to wider attention in 2007 when she was named Norway's Young Folk Musician of the Year. In 2006 she and Knut Hamre, together with Nils Økland and Sigbjørn Apeland (both of whom have appeared on ECM), released their CD/DVD Rosa i botnen, a pioneering project in the field of Norwegian folk music for which they performed in an old style of fiddling on historic Hardanger fiddles from the 17th and 18th centuries. Maurseth has also recorded a solo album for the Heilo label, Alde.</p> <p>Åsne Valland Nordli (born in 1975) comes from Norheimsund in the Hardanger region and is renowned for the bell-like clarity and beauty of her voice. She began singing in public at the age of 10, was already teaching at the Ole Bull Academy at 14, and has collaborated with musicians ranging from the Bergen Philharmonic to jazz improvisers. Among her several recordings are two for Norway's Via Music, Lille Messias and Himmelske balsam og Sødeste Drue. Nordli has also appeared on Hardanger fiddler Nils Økland's release Straum (Rune Grammofon).</p> <p>Personnel: Benedicte Maurseth (hardanger fiddle, voice), Åsne Valland Nordli (voice)</p>