Kevin Henderson, Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Anders Hall aka The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc make a pretty unique trio. Products of the Shetland, Norwegian, and Swedish violin traditions respectively, they found each other, and an abundance of natural chemistry, back in 2009.
3 albums later, including Bonfrost in 2020 (just in time for a global pandemic), and that partnership is still going very strong. On stage, they enjoy the ease of performers never far from a stage, and the sort of camaraderie only found after long years of shared adventures. They also have the confidence of musicians at the height of their powers, with something special to offer.
That confidence isn’t misplaced, opening with a traditional Shetland tune given the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc treatment. That means surprisingly rich harmonies and an injection of heavy dramatic sensibilities. They may be a fiddle band, but their armoury of instruments is more diverse than most, from Standard fiddles, octave fiddle, and Viola, to Hardanger fiddle. It’s three fiddlers, but six fiddles on stage.
Toss in a little amplification and if they can’t quite achieve Double Bass depths, they certainly span the range from violin to Cello plus a little oomph from the mixing desk. This, however, is the limit of their technical shenanigans, everything else a product of nimble fingers, clever orchestration, and an evident feel for rich, thrilling harmonies.
“They may be a fiddle band, but their armoury of instruments is more diverse than most…”
Their Tradfest set flit back and forth between Shetland and Scandinavia, and someplace in between. Highlights included the perky and rousing arrangement of Un-named Shetland Reel; a mysterious, and superly pretty treatment of Swedish Polska Flinkin; and Mjelva’s beautifully hibernal Deliverance.
Indeed there’s something wintery about the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, an aspiration to an almost crystalline beauty. It’s music to watch the moon by, be it beside a roaring fire, or sitting by a quiet bedroom window watching snowflakes dance to the ground outside. Their music doesn’t lack humour, from the merry and pacey, Don’t Drink and Dance, to paying ironic tribute to dream-prone fiddling colleagues with Adam’s Nightmare.
There’s immense sophistication to everything they play, the three passing complex melodies, harmonies, and rhythms between their bows with the aplomb of the most accomplished jugglers. Imagine the elements of a tune as so many coloured balls, and you can almost see them dance from one bridge to the next and back again in a complex, gorgeous dance.
“There’s immense sophistication to everything they play, the three passing complex melodies, harmonies, and rhythms between their bows with the aplomb of the most accomplished jugglers.”
There’s an undeniably classical feel to their work, the harmonic range, and melodic play would likely place them on the Edinburgh International Festival stage with zero controversy. Even after so many years together, however, I believe the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc has yet to achieve its full potential.
Each of the three enjoys international standing alone, and finding time to collaborate is doubtless challenging. Still, if they can find the right concept, and the time to flesh it out, they have the critical mass of musical gifts to pull out something surpassingly special. It may horrify purists, but with the group already exploring amplification, I wonder what they might achieve should they experiment further.
‘Might be’s’ aside, the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc offered 2 hours with three most amiable master musicians, making the music they love, and charming the audience from beginning to end.
Featured Image: provided by Edinburgh Tradfest PR
Show Details
Venue: Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
Dates: Sunday, May 5, 2024
Admission: £16/£13
Showtimes:
- 8:15 PM to 10:30 PM
Age Recommendation: Parental Discretion
Running Time: 2 hours (plus interval)
Accessibility
- Wheelchair Accessible Venue
- Wheelchair Accessible Toilets
- Audio Enhancement System
