Majorstuen is hardcore fiddle music, and the hottest folk music band in Norway - the band "everybody" is talking about!

With six fiddles Majorstuen has succeeded creating a unique sound, mixing traditional, contemporary and innovative musical expressions. All based on traditional Norwegian folk music and Majorstuen's own compositions. The beat is the bond of Majorstuen, and the band presents music of a certain purity with an irresistible groove. In other words - tempting music!

Majorstuen is supported by The Arts Council Norway

Majorstuen/

Majorstuen - Norwegian folk music's party band

They are six young fiddlers from all corners of Norway who have created something completely their own, and it is so wonderful to be on the receiving end of it.

The music is energetic, thoughtful and humorous. One moment full of nocturnal longing, the next packed with rambunctious, take-no-prisoners humor.

On stage, the performers move slowly around one another, sending each other playful glances with unashamedly broad grins. There is no doubt that they have more than a little fun performing together. There is also no doubt about their effortlessly tight ensemble playing.

Norway is made up of a plethora of valleys, mountaintops, fjords and islands. Spoken Norwegian, as well as the folk music of Norway vary their dialects from fjord to fjord, and from the one mountain valley to the next. Norway is a patchwork of local variation.

The six members of Majorstuen have all grown up in different parts of the country. They each bring their own unique local traditions to their music making with the group. Some of the musicians have grown up with the fiddle, while others play the special Norwegian variant - hardingfele.

Majorstuen have refined their widely different musical dialects to a single, personal and playful common language. They all met as students at the Norwegian State Music Academy, and have performed as a sextet since 2002. All play the fiddle, occasionally trading off on cello or viola. No other instruments. No electronic gizmos. All sounds are acoustic. Majorstuen has set its own limitations. But the creative force is powerful, and the feeling of freedom that comes pouring out of the music is more powerful still.

A lot happens:
Rhythmic rock-like riffs on the cello writhe in the deeps beneath an ethereal, lonesome fiddle note. Tight, pumping chords open up, and a shabby reinlender wanders away. Majorstuen speaks the language of folk music, but they borrow fresh new words and catchphrases from pop, modern music, classical and rock. And they speak it fluently!

This is why they have an immediate appeal far beyond the initiated who have always liked Norwegian folk music. The audience goes home from a concert with Majorstuen with a laid-back attitude and a broad grin. Majorstuen is simply a singularly good band. A sophisticated and gregarious party band!

Gabriel Fliflet
Musician and concert producer for Norway's most active folk music stage: Columbi Egg in Bergen.

Design: Eva Karlsson   Webdevelopment: UniWeb AS   Photographies: Bandphoto: Kari Løvaas, Instrumentphoto: Fotofabrikken