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Rosensfole
Rosenfole
Garbarek, Jan
This 1988 recording may be Garbarek's most extended foray into the early music of his native Norway, crafting spacious settings for the voice of Agnes Buen Garnas, a Norwegian traditional singer who brings a rich drama to these songs based on medieval origins. Her voice is a stunning instrument, possessed of a thrilling vibrato and a subtle sense of pitch that are only enhanced by the electronic climate of the recording. Though there are traces of his usual reeds, Garbarek uses synthesizers and a host of percussion overdubs to create a virtual orchestra with wind, string, and harmonium textures. It doesn't sound like mere mimicry of medieval music, but a heightened setting for the drama of Garnas's voice, from the undercurrent of soprano saxophone on "Signe Lita" to the anvil-like percussion of "Lillebroer." The 16-minute "Marjit" possesses both epic grandeur and hypnotic power with its pulsing, tablalike drumming, deep drones, and endlessly repeating melody. While it's a kind of precursor to Garbarek's later project with the Hilliard Ensemble, Rosenfole has a distinctive beauty all its own, and a stunning presence in Garnas's voice. --Stuart Broomer