Gjermund Larsen Trio – Christmas Sessions (Heilo, 2024)
The Gjermund Larsen Trio presents here its first-ever Christmas album, Christmas Sessions. Using a chamber folk format of violin, acoustic bass and harmonium/piano, the trio delivers timeless traditional melodies with their exquisite folk sensibility. After nearly two decades of crafting original compositions, the group offers a fresh, elegant and enthralling take on beloved seasonal classics, interpreted through their unique musical lens.
The idea for a Christmas album had been in the trio’s plans for years, but only came to fruition after their collaboration with the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir on Veni – Songs of Christmas II in 2022. Inspired by that experience, the trio dedicated three days this fall to recording at Amper Tone Studio, channeling their creativity into an intense and rewarding process.
Gjermund Larsen shared: “We had sketches, ideas, and thoughts about how we wanted to shape the music, but it took its final form and shape during three intense studio days. It’s both daunting and exciting to release music that everyone knows and has a strong attachment to. We selected the Christmas music we like best and gave it our own signature. Releasing Christmas music now also feels right for reasons beyond the purely musical ones. Many Christmas songs carry a powerful message of peace, something that is unfortunately more relevant than ever in these times!
“We believe this release will make an important contribution to the ever-growing jungle of Christmas albums. The album is instrumental, and the arrangements are original and unembellished. We play with a strong folk music identity, which we believe many will find familiar. In many ways, Christmas music today is everyone’s folk music.”
Musicians: Gjermund Larsen (fiddle), Andreas Utnem (harmonium/piano), and Sondre Meisfjord (double bass).
Gjermund Larsen Trio has received high praise and numerous awards since their debut release in 2008, including the top Norwegian music industry award (2008), the German Phonographic Critics Award (2015), and the TONO Composer Award (2016).
Track list
- Det kimer nå til julefest 03:22
- Jeg er så glad hver julekveld 03:29
- Stille natt 04:01
- O jul med din glede 02:29
- O helga Natt 04:21
- Home for Christmas 03:55
- Du grønne glitrende tre 02:19
- Det hev ei rose sprunge 02:56
- Joleklokker over jordi 03:20
- O Little town of Bethlehem 03:25
- Deilig er Jorden 02:30
Buy Christmas Sessions.
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.