Music Without - Music Without

Project leader and producer Bjorn Ole Rasch has alongside some of Norway's premier interpreters and heritage keepers of the region of Setesdal, engaged in a musical dialogue with musical tradition through heartfelt musical encounters of musicians from vastly different backgrounds. How would performers from other cultures respond musically to traditional Norwegian music from Setesdal, and how would Norwegian artists respond to the musical response from the outside world? The initiators Kirsten Braten Berg, Sigurd Brokke, Gunnar Stubseid and Hallvard T. Bjorgum wanted to figure out how different instruments from different countries and parts of the world would affect the original material, and what tonal and rhythmical challenges and opportunities this encounter would produce in the search of a new soundscape? The process was based on video and sound recordings of Norwegian folk musicians that had been forwarded to every corner of the world, to pick up musical response. Through an interactive process with portable studios and new digital technology, the musicians have been able to work together on the material though physically distanced. In addition, the collaboration has been continued through personal meetings, seminars and workshops. Every tune on the record has evolved into a unique piece of music, in many of the cases far away from the original material. What initially could seem like a stiff research project at the university has become a fabulous and innovative pioneering work that's unparalleled.