Benedicte Maurseth //

 

SOLO PERFORMANCES

 

The Hardanger fiddle music is originally played alone. And all her playing life Maurseth has studied and developed her musical expression as a solo-player on the Hardanger fiddle. The music has been delivered from hand to hand, master to master, for several hundred years, and are beautiful, rich and complex compositions.
       
Since Maurseth picked up the fiddle, she has studied the solo music from her home area Hardanger, but also from Telemark and Setesdal in Norway. And for many years she has also learned and performed traditional vocal music from Norway, composed new music for the Hardanger fiddle and worked more and more with free improvised music based on her traditional roots.

Maurseth has performed and given countless solo-concerts both in Norway and internationally, on festivals and different scenes in countries such as Germany, Russia, Italy, USA, Canada, Brazil, Switzerland, Belgium, and more.

   «To me, the solo music will always be the most important part of my musical expression. The instrument, a whole orchestra on it´s own, and the rich, meditative and complex music is a never ending treasure. I constantly discover new layers, new stories in the old tunes, and try to add to them my own personal sound and story as well, as a humble part of a long chain of solo Hardanger fiddle players.

The solo-player is also in many ways risking more, putting more at stake, as there is nothing you can hide behind while playing alone. It is simply the player, pure and honest, the fiddle, the present and the history of every note you present, that´s in focus while playing. To me, giving solo-performances is a constant musically and spiritually challenge - both for the player and the listener.»