Benedicte Maurseth – Mirra (Hubro, 2025)
With Mirra (2025), Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player and composer Benedicte Maurseth deepens her exploration of sound, landscape, and ecology. As a follow-up to her award-winning 2022 album Hárr, this spellbinding new work turns its focus to the elusive wild reindeer of the Hardangervidda plateau, a species native to her home region of Eidfjord in western Norway.
Much like Hárr, Mirra is a concept album where the boundary between music and environmental sound design blurs. Maurseth combines the distinctive, moving tones of the Hardanger fiddle with field recordings and environmental sounds, constructing an alluring musical portrait of the reindeer’s life cycle. Tracks such as “The Calf Rises,” “Summer Grazing,” and “Hunting March” reflect key stages of seasonal migration and survival, from spring births to winter endurance.
The title Mirra comes from an old Hardanger dialect term describing the circling formation reindeer adopt to conserve heat and ward off predators. The word also evokes a time when these animals moved in great herds across the tundra.
Stylistically, the music combines Norwegian folk tradition with elements of American minimalism, krautrock, and free improvisation. Maurseth composed the material in collaboration with three accomplished musicians: Håkon Stene (melodic percussion), Mats Eilertsen (bass and electronics), and Morten Qvenild (keyboards and engineering). The album was recorded in 2024 at Ugla Lyd Studio in Nesodden and co-produced with Jørgen Træen.
On one track, Maurseth introduces field recordings of other endangered or disappearing species that coexist, or once did, with the reindeer, including snowy owl, arctic fox, wolverine, and several rare bird species.
In accompanying notes, Maurseth reflects on her rare encounters with wild reindeer, noting how their near-invisibility contrasts with their deep-rooted presence in Hardangervidda’s terrain. She describes the album as an act of “ecosophy,” where the natural world forms musical structure and meaning. Despite growing up near these herds, she emphasizes their vulnerability to climate change, human encroachment, and habitat loss.
About the Musicians:
Benedicte Maurseth is a Hardanger fiddle player, composer, and author, trained under master fiddler Knut Hamre. In addiiton to her solo performances, she engages in interdisciplinary collaborations, and commissioned works for film, TV, and leading ensembles. Her releases have appeared on Heilo, Hubro, and ECM, and she received the Nordic Music Prize for Hárr.
Håkon Mørch Stene is an internationally recognized percussionist active in western classical, experimental, and electronic genres. His 2014 solo album Lush Laments for Lazy Mammal won a Spellemann Award for contemporary music.
Mats Eilertsen is a veteran jazz bassist and ECM recording artist, known for his work with Tord Gustavsen, Nils Økland, and his own trio. In 2022, he received Norwegian jazz’s highest honor, the Buddy Prize.
Morten Qvenild is a prolific pianist, producer, and composer who has collaborated with Susanne Sundfør, A-ha, and Jaga Jazzist. He is a central figure in modern Nordic jazz and experimental music.
Author: Madison Quinn
