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GJALLARHORN (Finland / Sweden)
Jenny Wilhelms - vocals, fiddle, hardangerfiddle
Adrian Jones - viola, mandola, kalimba
Göran Månsson - sub contrabass recorder, flutes
Petter Berndalen - percussion
In all corners of the world people have been mesmerized by the music of Gjallarhorn. With their intense and witty interpretations and their innovative combination of instruments, the group creates a fascinating landscape around the Finland-Swedish medieval music. It represents a personal and talented echo of the ancient folk music tradition of Scandinavia with its mythical medieval ballads, whirling minuets, prayers in runo-metric chanting and ancient Icelandic rímur epics.
With their dynamic world music arrangements Gjallarhorn has brought the Nordic tonality to a modern audience in both the jazz, rock and wold music fields. Gjallarhorn has found a way to combine the most ancient musical cultures around the world with its similarities and its different elements.
Gjallarhorn is one of the leading export groups in the field of Nordic folk music. The group just celebrated its 10th anniversary with a tour in Finland, Sweden and Japan and has received several awards in various countries, such as the French ‘La Monde de la Musique CHOC’ and ‘Trad Magazine Bravos!!!’. The group was nominated for the prestigeous music prize of the Nordic Council of Ministries in 2003.
MUSICIANS
JENNY WILHELMS
Jenny Wilhelms is focused on the vocal and fiddling tradition in Scandinavia and has studied various nordic folk music styles both academically and in a living tradition.
Beside her basic classical education she has studied folk music in almost all of the Nordic countries. Jenny is also holding workshops and master classes in Scandinavian singing styles.
Jenny arranges and composes folk music for choirs and vocal ensembles. Her latest four pieces for the 55th anniversary of the Flora Female Choir at the Abo Academy won the first price in a Scandinavian Choir arranging competition in 1999.
The vocals feature ornaments and microtonality from the Scandinavian traditional way of singing, with moments of improvisation and influences from Indian classical music.
ADRIAN JONES
Adrian Jones started playing the violin at the age of six. Mainly classical music, but also some folk music. From 1997 he concentrates on folk music, playing both the violin and the viola. The fiddles are the most common instruments in the instrumental tradition, the viola brings a depth and variation to the second voices and supports the old sound of octavation with twin fiddles.
GORAN MANSSON
Goran Mansson is one of Sweden's most dynamic recorder and flute players within traditional and early music, and plays with groups such as Raun, Mansson & Aberg and Frispel. Goran shows that recorders, flutes and whistles, though not so commonly heard, are indeed suitable instruments for traditional Swedish music. He takes the playing to new technical levels on recorders of varying sizes, down to the sub contra bass recorder, as well as wooden flutes and traditional wooden whistles. The playing style is very varied, from flowing to percussive, and the tune settings vary just as much. The repertoire comprises both traditional and newly composed material and it takes the listener back to Goran's musical roots in Havero in central Sweden.
PETTER BERNDALEN
Petter Berndalen was born and raised in Bollnas, Sweden. He picked up drumsticks at the age of 15, and made the transition from hard-rock to jazz soon enough.
Petter's goal is not playing something that fits the folk music, but rather to really play something that IS the very essence of folk music. His way to achieve this is by studying the melody-supporting function of the fiddler or other traditional folk musician, applying this to his own playing.
At the moment, Petter studies at the Kungl. Musikhogskolan in Stockholm, and will in spring 2005 become the first percussionist in the world with a degree in Swedish folk music. With his knowledge of the tradition, Petter approaches the music with a free mind, playfulness, improvisation and sensitivity.
Besides Gjallarhorn, Petter is known from groups like Shohaz, Lindvall-Misgeld-Berndalen, Kalabra, Tandoori, Folkilsk, Wild East, Fyrland and Ni:d.
REVIEWS
”This group fuses contemporary and traditional music to create a unique experience.”
“This is the new image of world music.”
“This CD secures Gjallarhorn a safe place at the very top of Scandinavian folk music.”
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