After aging the past 24 years, Nils Henrik Asheim’s work “Salmenes bok” (“The Book of Psalms”) has now been released. The hour-long work was written for the dedication of Oslo Cathedral’s new Ryde & Berg organ in 1998. It features both organs in the cathedral (with Kåre Nordstoga on the choir organ and Asheim playing the main organ) to create a surround sound around the choir singing 21 texts from the biblical Psalms in a rich tonal language equally rich in contrast. The result is a unique listening experience, a magical fusing of voices and organ.

All the music on this CD has the countertenor as a common denominator. There is something beautifully unsettling about hearing a male singing in the register of a female singer. It throws us back to a, fortunately, bygone time when the same vocal properties were reached by the barbaric practice that produced the male “castrati”. Nowadays, male singers who wish to sing in this register develop their falsetto and head voice techniques in a natural way.

Thule certainly did their part in bringing life back into the Progressive music scene in their home country of Norway in the late eighties and early nineties.
The kind of music presented here is quite typically for bands coming from that area rather dark and somber but having as well quite a lot of lively and really freaky moments. Compared to "Frostbrent" and "Graks" sounding more like a type of "progressive goth rock" the songs on here still exhibit some more resemblance to 70's old school prog mostly due to the extensive use of organ sound which is presented in a brilliant way. Apart from that all musicianship is really flawless and especially Peer-Einar Pedersen shines no matter if he plays bass, guitar, harmonica or accordeon. This album is a highly diversified one and should certainly provide many enjoyable spins to both 70's Prog and modern art rock fans.

This Norwegian folk outfit started out in the early 70s mixing acoustic instruments (fiddle, mandolin, banjo and piano) with the electric guitar, bass and keyboards. They created an earthy music made up of playful, catchy melodies with male/female vocal interplay. Despite important personnel changes over the years (their first-rate lead female singer was replaced, among others), they have managed to remain true to their sound and have churned out over ten fine albums between 1974 and 1998. Their material is pure, often foot-stomping folk with Norwegian vocals. Despite the mostly minor keys, it is fresh and exhilirating and dons some wonderful arrangements.

In 2022, a year after the release of Kvitravn and as a prelude to the forthcoming live dates, Wardruna are presenting Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven; an audio-visual release captured from their lauded, boundary-pushing virtual live experience First Flight of the White Raven of March 26th 2021. This new release captures a special set list consisting of songs from Kvitravn and fan favourites from across their discography.

In the spring of 2018, Ketil Bjornstad realized that it was only a scarce year before 50 years had passed since he debuted as a pianist with the Philharmonic in the University's Aula on January 10, 1969. On that day this year, the celebration of what is Bjornstad's year began. 2019 started with a nice new release of "Rainbow Sessions" in a limited 4cd-boxset. "The World I Used To Know" is recorded at one of the world's most famous studios - Abbey Road in London, more specifically in Studio Two where, among others, The Beatles recorded their material. The album is released not only on cd and double-vinyl, but also as a magnificent box consisting of five cd's. The box contains the recordings from Abbey Road, but also three cd's of music from his entire career with various guest vocalists, and one complete new album recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo.

Pianist Ketil Bjornstad interprets poems by critically accliamed author Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold's collection "Litt trist matematikk" and performs them together with the vocalist Eva Bjerga Haugen. Transforming poetry and other writings into music is an important part of musician, composer and writer Ketil Bjornstad's work. Most well-known among his works are the interpretations of Harry Martinsson, Knut Hamsun, John Donne and Edvard Munch. Earlier this year he released the critically acclaimed album, "A Suite of Poems" with Anneli Drecker on ECM, where poems by Lars Saabye Christensen was the source of inspiration.

This Norwegian folk outfit started out in the early 70s mixing acoustic instruments (fiddle, mandolin, banjo and piano) with the electric guitar, bass and keyboards. They created an earthy music made up of playful, catchy melodies with male/female vocal interplay. Despite important personnel changes over the years (their first-rate lead female singer was replaced, among others), they have managed to remain true to their sound and have churned out over ten fine albums between 1974 and 1998. Their material is pure, often foot-stomping folk with Norwegian vocals. Despite the mostly minor keys, it is fresh and exhilirating and dons some wonderful arrangements.

This Norwegian folk outfit started out in the early 70s mixing acoustic instruments (fiddle, mandolin, banjo and piano) with the electric guitar, bass and keyboards. They created an earthy music made up of playful, catchy melodies with male/female vocal interplay. Despite important personnel changes over the years (their first-rate lead female singer was replaced, among others), they have managed to remain true to their sound and have churned out over ten fine albums between 1974 and 1998. Their material is pure, often foot-stomping folk with Norwegian vocals. Despite the mostly minor keys, it is fresh and exhilirating and dons some wonderful arrangements.

Ase Kleveland releases her first album in almost 45 years. Ase Kleveland and The Salmon Smokers played for the first time at the big tribute concert for Leonard Choen in 2017, where they together rocked a packed Oslo Spektrum with a spectacular version of Choen's "First We Take Manhattan". The concert and the television recording left viewers with thoughts about what an artist we lost when Ase chose a career in cultural bureaucracy and politics.

This is the first time Secret Garden has made a Christmas album. The recording is a collaboration with Cathrine Iversen, who is the soloist on all songs. The Christmas songs are new, original songs by Rolf Løvland, except the 500-year old “I Know a Rose Tree”.

This album includes a repertoire of Nordic composers influenced by French impressionism and Debussy’s music in particular. In Finland, both Toivo Kuula and Leevi Madetoja are known for taking influence from impressionism. After spending extensive time at the National Library in Oslo I decided to add songs by Alf Hurumin and with the helpful advice from the principal of the Norwegian State Academy of Music, Astrid Kvalbein, Pauline Hall. Juho Alakärppä brought in Gösta Nystrom`s Sånger vid havet. This work was originally written for Finnish soprano Aulikki Rautava.