Felefeber: Norwegian Fiddle Music

Annbjorg Lien | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shanachie
• ASIN: B000000E3G
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,032 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #30 in Music > World Music > Europe > Scandinavia > General

Track Listings

1. The Water Lily

2. Halling After Ola Mosafinn

3. Springar After Kristiane Lund

4. Medley

5. The Battle of the Drones

6. The Lost Sheep

7. The Plucked Halling

8. The Moose Hunter

9. Little Child

10. Dragos

11. The Nordfjord Halling

12. The Hildale Man

13. Amen

14. The Miller Boy's Bridal March

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lien's Purest Folk Music Solo Album, July 14, 2000

By 

Pat Mitchell (Larkspur, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Felefeber: Norwegian Fiddle Music (Audio CD)

Felefeber, which means Fiddle Fever, plays better compositions than her later album, Prisme, by focusing more on making music and less on showing her proficiency on the hardingfele or Hardanger fiddle. Most of the songs are called traditionals which is to say that they were played mainly by 18th and early 19th century fiddlers including Jon Rosenlid, Ola Hildalen, Ola Kjellstad, Haldor Melland, Ola Mosafinn and Kristiane Lund. She not only uses the late Lund's song, but apparently borrows her fiddle to play it. As one of the most significant of the Norwegians who bring a pre-twentieth century folk medium into the 21st century, each placing their own stamp of influence, she takes relatively few liberties with the folk medium in this 54-minute, 14-cut album. The first cut, The Water Lily, introduces the classic style of the album which tunes were mostly arranged by co-producer (with Lien) guitarist Roger Tallroth who plays with the Swedish group, Vaasen. On The Plucked Halling her hardingfele is utilized at times as a percussion instrument on the spirited number. 3 songs have religious roots although with no vocals anywhere on the album the evangelism-averse need not fear. The title cut, one of only two self-compositions, was written after a jam session with musicians of other genres. A need not to be too far from home or her roots is suggested. The album ends with The Miller Boy's Bridal March (also on The Wizard Women of The North collection), a haunting drone of unrequited love. This a very different album from either Prisme or Baba Yaga, one with a pleasant, gentle sound which is not easy to achieve with the Hardanger fiddle.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Down home--up north, October 1, 2006

By 

Brianna Neal (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Felefeber: Norwegian Fiddle Music (Audio CD)

Hardanger fiddler Annbjorg Lien offers an appealing fusion of traditional and contemporary Norwegian music. The folk tunes have a gentle, lilting quality about them despite their unusual, challenging rhythms. The arrangements, most of which are by guitarist Roger Tallroth, are engagingly quaint but with a whisper of contemporary-classical. Most tracks feature either solo hardanger fiddle, or fiddle with organ or guitar accompaniment. The fiddle and the organ actually blend together very well in tone and technique; with so many chords and drone notes worked into the playing, solo hardanger fiddling can sound like closely voiced keyboard playing. And it's nice to hear a church organ used in "popular" music; so often overlooked, it's such a versatile instrument-- the original "synthesizer," if you will! It works very well here. These sweet, charming tunes will cheer you up with their bright timbre and folksy feel! Other albums by Annbjorg Lien include the more contemporary "Baba Yaga" on the Northside label. Try also the work of Vasen, "Can We Have Christmas Now?" by Sari and Mari Kaasinen of Varttina, and the Northside compilation "Wizard Women of the North."

5.0 out of 5 stars appealing fiddle music, October 29, 2011

By 

katie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Felefeber: Norwegian Fiddle Music (Audio CD)

I had enjoyed some of the fiddle music in the film Fargo. So after a bit of research, I found this performer and cd. If you like fiddle music, you'll like this. Tradtional Norwegian folk music, all instrumental. It may be tradtional in Norway, but for me it sounds new and I enjoy the different type of sounds. Really an interesting cd. I'm going to get the other cd by this artist.