Bukkene Bruse
The Loveliest Rose
Northside (2002)
http://home.hia.no/~bjornor/bukkenebruse.htm

The Loveliest Rose is an album of Christmas music from Bukkene Bruse, a Norwegian band dedicated to expanding inwardly into folk traditions. Recorded in an Oslo church, it features most prominently the beautiful celestial sounds of Annbjørg Lien's nyckelharpa and hardanger, and Arve Moen Bergset's choir tenor vocals. In the ternary diagram of Northside releases, Bukkene Bruse is firmly placed as the corner post of cultural art music, in the manner of a country that consists mostly of high severe mountains.

One of the really nice things about The Loveliest Rose is that for most of us, there isn't any recognizable Christmas music on it, so it can be played all year round and doesn't evoke unpleasant images of relatives. One of the more unusual tracks is "Sunniva," introduced by a piece of Keith Emerson's Karn Evil suite; from Brain Salad Surgery, the tune sounds on Annbjørg's fingers just like the grandiose classical music it was intended to be. The end of this set is original music, with folk themes twisting around the great bass of the organ. Other tracks range from a relatively contemporary lullaby to slow traditional fiddle tunes learnt from Hank Buen to a minor key New Years song-hymn. Arve's tenor is nothing like you hear on most folk music today...it reminds me of the way classical musicians sing "Greensleeves," or something from the John Jacob Niles era...and the vocals may make or break the album for listeners. You might compare the church-based ambience to some of the tracks on the Estonian album Strand...Rand.

It would be hard to say that The Loveliest Rose is not passionate album, but it does surely lack the obvious sense of fun that spills out of some other Scandinavian releases. Why isn't Christmas fun? When I listen to this album, I hear Norwegians being herded into cold churches in stern, icy weather. I think of Norwegian bachelor farmers, Christmas dinner with good china and crystal, children with good manners. The world is a balancing act indeed.

gennett at gorge dot net

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