Olav Luksengård Mjelva – Hugnad (Klangsmia Records, 2022)
Hugnad is Olav Luksengård Mjelva´s superb second solo album of contemporary Norwegian folk music played on the fiddle. The new compositions present exquisite, enthralling and stellar violin work in solo and ensemble format, elegantly intertwined with accordion, acoustic bass and guitar. Notably, Luksengård skillfully and beautifully combines Norwegian traditional music influences with western classical and other elements.
The material on Hugnad is a selection of Olav Luksengård’s composition. He said: “Some have been around for many years, while others have been composed for this album. Many of them you will find on albums I have recorded with Sver, The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Rydvall/Mjelva and Mjelva/West. We have done some really fun things with the compositions, and it is always natural that the music evolves from when the melodies first come to life in my head with my fiddle.
“It is a result of that, that I have always had the urge to record them in a solo setting to come back to their original form.”
Musicians: Olav L. Mjelva – fiddle and hardanger fiddle; Ronny Kjøsen – accordion; Jonas Østbyhaug – double bass; and Adam Johansson – guitar.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.