David and I used our Thursday to drive leisurely north toward Östersund. For those interested in the route we took, we left Furudal and drove through Orsa, Sveg, and Vemdalen before arriving at our destination - Frösö Camping and Stugby. We had hoped to see a bear (from a distance), but they were not on the road. Instead, just outside of Vemdalen, we saw three reindeer! They crossed the highway in front of us and we turned around to take photos while they snacked on the roadside vegetation.
Due to the fact that Östersund hosts a big music festival the same weekend as Uppdansningen, there were no cabins available at the campground adjacent to the conference center (Folkets Hus) when we tried booking in April. Frösö, located only a 15 minute drive away, had a cabin with room for Larry and his mother, David and I, so we took it. Unfortunately, the beds at these cabins were well used and had never been as nice as the ones in Furudal. I don't think any of us slept well, but at least we were warm, dry, and not too far away.
Thursday night we made a respectable appearance at the dance. We said hello to lots of people we hadn't seen since last year and even got to dance with some of them. David and I hit the dance floor and had a pretty excellent time. We were tired, though, so after I got in a few practice dances with Larry, we headed back to the cabin and called it a night.
Larry and I danced on Friday afternoon. We all got up early and watched most of the dancers who were on before us. Watching folk dancing at this level, a person learns to appreciate different qualities that make folk dance beautiful. Dancers have the opportunity to choose which dances fit their style - smooth, bouncy, slow and controlled, fast and furious. Watching the same dancers over a number of years, gives the audience the opportunity to watch them progress as dancers. Watching a many dancers dance the same dances over the weekend allows the audience to experience a wide range of styles interpreting the same dance. When it was our turn to dance, Larry and a put on our performance smiles and contributed to the weekend's potpourri of dances and dancers.
Dancing on Friday gave us the opportunity to relax the rest of the weekend. We were invited to some friends' cabin for dinner. After the stress of dancing up, the good food and relaxed company made us too tired to go to the Friday dance. We headed back to the cabin and slept on the crummy mattresses until we woke up the next morning.
Saturday we took our time getting to the conference center. I had woken up in a rotten mood, and it didn't improve as the day went on. Fortunately, David is a genius at getting me to change directions from a bad mood to constant giggling. While we were waiting for the dancing to start up after lunch, one of the judges (Bengt Wittgren) found us sitting in the balcony above the judges table. He asked if we had fiddles with us and, when we answered yes, he asked us to play a half hour set at the evening dance! This helped tremendously on the improving my mood front. Who wouldn't be thrilled to be asked to share the bill with Mats and Ulf Andersson, Familien Westling, and three young Boda fiddlers!?
After securing a fiddle for David to play that evening, we decided to leave at the coffee break so we would have time to practice with the borrowed fiddle. Our stomachs and tourist-curiosity led us to the Jamtli cafe where we ate reindeer cold cuts on flat bread followed by dessert. This left little time for practicing, but was a nice way to relieve stress.
After dinner (fish balls, potatoes, and vegetables), we headed back to the dance hall. We got the word that the program had changed and we would instead be playing last. This was fine with us, but it meant that we needed to find a different fiddle for David. After securing a fiddle and dancing to the excellent music of the first two sets (Mats and Ulf, and the Boda kids), we took our coffee tickets and chose our tunes. We decided to play several Finnskogs pols and I would sing a couple polskor. We rounded out the set with a few reinlenders, a polka, and a waltz. The crowd was small by the time we played, but they all enjoyed our set!
Sunday we got up early, packed, and cleaned the cabin. After returning the keys to reception we headed in to watch the last round of dancers. The medal ceremony was immediately following lunch. I always find the award ceremony exciting and stressful at the same time. Regardless of how well I've danced, I can never be 100% certain that I've passed until I have the diploma in my hand. Larry and I both passed; he now has his big silver and I have two more tests before I get mine. The word on both of our diplomas is 'frejdigt' which Google translates to bold, spirited, or plucky. I like that description and I'm looking forward to next year. I've just got to find a partner!
Showing posts with label fiddling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiddling. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Concert Reviews
In Rauland we are home to one of the most active Folkemusikkscener (Folk Music Stages). This fall we have been more active than ever before and we have managed to have a concert almost every other week.
The school year started off with a concert by Ragnhild Furholt and Leiv Solberg. Their stage presence is highly entertaining, especially when joined by Ånon Egeland with a poly-rhythmic percussion solo played on the back of a ukulele. All three are instructors at the school and excellent musicians.
The following concert was the Fliflet/Hamre Kraftforening (Energy Association). These two play wild music on accordion and percussion with inspiration from modern and popular music to Norwegian and Hungarian folk. After the concert they explained to us some of their philosophies about playing music. Their goal is to be the host at a party with the audience as their guests; they hope to get us to laugh, relax, and have a good time while listening to them tell stories and play music.
Following Fliflet/Hamre was the moving music of Nils Økland. I wrote about his concert earlier, but I am still impressed by the music he created. It was soft and gentle and permeated the room; when it's empty, I think the walls probably play back his concert.
Moving right along, we were next treated to Kim Andre Rysstad, Lajla Renate Buer Storli, and Jon Ole Morken. They played from all three of their traditions (Setesdal, Hardanger, and Røros). They played solos, duets, and as a trio giving a varied texture to an excellent concert.
In the eyes of the traditionalists, nothing beats a concert of solo hardingfele. The house was packed two weeks ago when Valdres native Jan Beitohaugen Granli sailed in from a seminar in Oslo to share tunes and stories with us. The five time Landskappleiken winner kept us on the edge of our seats for nearly and hour. He entertained us with funny anecdotes about the music, instruments, and history and commanded our attention with his technical and musical expertise. Anyone who enjoys Valdres tunes or solo hardingfele should get a copy of his CD. To those on the fence about the potential for beauty in solo hardingfele, I also recommend giving his CD a listen.
Last night we took a tour to the land of springleik (or sprenglek). Going by the name Duo, Erlend Viken from Oppdal and Aslak Brimi from Lom are a powerful pair. The blend simple but elegant harmonies with phenomenal melodies (both well known and new) and impeccable dance pulse. Rivaling Jan Beitohaugen, their stories were personal and got us to laugh. As I listen to their CD now, I hope that everyone gets a chance to hear these two.
The school year started off with a concert by Ragnhild Furholt and Leiv Solberg. Their stage presence is highly entertaining, especially when joined by Ånon Egeland with a poly-rhythmic percussion solo played on the back of a ukulele. All three are instructors at the school and excellent musicians.
The following concert was the Fliflet/Hamre Kraftforening (Energy Association). These two play wild music on accordion and percussion with inspiration from modern and popular music to Norwegian and Hungarian folk. After the concert they explained to us some of their philosophies about playing music. Their goal is to be the host at a party with the audience as their guests; they hope to get us to laugh, relax, and have a good time while listening to them tell stories and play music.
Following Fliflet/Hamre was the moving music of Nils Økland. I wrote about his concert earlier, but I am still impressed by the music he created. It was soft and gentle and permeated the room; when it's empty, I think the walls probably play back his concert.
Moving right along, we were next treated to Kim Andre Rysstad, Lajla Renate Buer Storli, and Jon Ole Morken. They played from all three of their traditions (Setesdal, Hardanger, and Røros). They played solos, duets, and as a trio giving a varied texture to an excellent concert.
In the eyes of the traditionalists, nothing beats a concert of solo hardingfele. The house was packed two weeks ago when Valdres native Jan Beitohaugen Granli sailed in from a seminar in Oslo to share tunes and stories with us. The five time Landskappleiken winner kept us on the edge of our seats for nearly and hour. He entertained us with funny anecdotes about the music, instruments, and history and commanded our attention with his technical and musical expertise. Anyone who enjoys Valdres tunes or solo hardingfele should get a copy of his CD. To those on the fence about the potential for beauty in solo hardingfele, I also recommend giving his CD a listen.
Last night we took a tour to the land of springleik (or sprenglek). Going by the name Duo, Erlend Viken from Oppdal and Aslak Brimi from Lom are a powerful pair. The blend simple but elegant harmonies with phenomenal melodies (both well known and new) and impeccable dance pulse. Rivaling Jan Beitohaugen, their stories were personal and got us to laugh. As I listen to their CD now, I hope that everyone gets a chance to hear these two.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
NM i folkemusikk og folkedans
We were sleeping in a classroom with eleven people, most of whom we'd never met before; that is, I'd met one of them before and David had never met any of them. Since we were the last two to show up, we got the spot right by the door and the sink that everyone had to walk by. Needless to say, it was not comfortable. Fortunately that was the only real downside the event.
The other downside was that I had too many friends competing at the same time. I managed to see very few of them dancing. I did however get to see and hear lots of very good competition. The results of the week's competition were exciting - especially in dance! As usual with such a competition, there is now some debate about the criteria the judges used, especially in the vocal categories. As a spectator, the event was a success - lots to see and hear during the day and lots to dance to in the evening. As usual in Norway, going to a dance with a steady partner is a lot more fun.
We left early to get back to Rauland in time for the opening of the summer art exhibition. We drove the short way over the mountains and took lots of photos from the car. We stopped at a mountain stream for lunch. David played on a rock out in the stream; I was too chicken to jump out there and the rocks were too slippery to wade out on. We made it home just in time to take a shower, eat dinner and drive to the gallery opening.
The other downside was that I had too many friends competing at the same time. I managed to see very few of them dancing. I did however get to see and hear lots of very good competition. The results of the week's competition were exciting - especially in dance! As usual with such a competition, there is now some debate about the criteria the judges used, especially in the vocal categories. As a spectator, the event was a success - lots to see and hear during the day and lots to dance to in the evening. As usual in Norway, going to a dance with a steady partner is a lot more fun.
We left early to get back to Rauland in time for the opening of the summer art exhibition. We drove the short way over the mountains and took lots of photos from the car. We stopped at a mountain stream for lunch. David played on a rock out in the stream; I was too chicken to jump out there and the rocks were too slippery to wade out on. We made it home just in time to take a shower, eat dinner and drive to the gallery opening.
New beginnings
The night before our final concert, when most people were busy packing and saying goodbye, I took a deep breath and leapt down a new path. Having had my own heart broken more often than I'd like, I have a tendency to be overly cautious both with my own emotional well being and that of others. The feelings I'd been having for David (a classmate) kept getting stronger the more time I spent with him; the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that I wanted to spend even more time with him. We are both very aware of the potential for negative ramifications if things go poorly next year, however things are going very well and I haven't been happier in a very long time.
Our first adventure as a couple was a cross-country tour. We took off from Rauland on a Saturday afternoon by bus. The plan was to catch the night bus to Uppsala (yippee!), but that plan fell through when the bus was full. I called everyone we knew in Oslo. A classmate of ours came through with his mother's apartment in a very nice neighborhood in Oslo. His mother was moving so, we got the place to ourselves for the few hours we were there.
Early the next morning we found our way back out of the courtyard (we were very nearly locked in) and back to the bus station. After nine long hours on the bus, we arrived at the central station in Stockholm where we met David's mother, Nina. We were very happy that she was in the city and driving up to Uppsala, because we were very hungry and had run into some money trouble (my bank card had stopped working and David was broke). She made good time and we arrived at his home outside the city and met his brother, Thomas, and father, Anders. Everyone was very welcoming - it was fantastic to be home.
After dinner we went for a walk in the forest, then took a shower, and played some music. We were generally exhausted from our journey, but it was good to move, good to play, and phenomenal to be clean. I could have slept through the whole following day, but it was Thomas' birthday so we got up early and woke him up with cake, song, and presents. It was very festive.
In the afternoon, David took me on an Uppsala sightseeing tour. We met a couple friends of his for coffee and sat outside at a cafe in the almost too warm sunshine. We did some shopping (cough drops and a new tooth brush), visited David's high school, the cathedral, and the salvation army. Before leaving town we stopped at the concert hall, both to admire the building and the view from the top floor.
Hot and tired, we headed back to the cozy valley David grew up in, stopping only for Swedish summer essentials (soft serve and dill chips). Back at the Rönnlund ranch (which is not a ranch in the slightest), Anders was preparing Thomas' birthday dinner (steak!). The brothers worked together to produce homemade pasta. As if all that weren't enough, the meal was rounded out with a caprice salad and a second round of birthday cake. David took me sightseeing in the neighboring valley afterward; the pleasant drive and long walk gave us ample time to talk about all kinds of things - and test the temperature of the water. I ended the evening having a somewhat involved conversation with Nina about my thoughts on Judaism; her mother was jewish, so it was an interesting discussion for both of us.
The next day we packed Thomas' car with our things and headed back toward Norway. We spent the evening with Peter, David's uncle, in Karlstad. Well rested we took off toward Geilo and the first NM in folkemusikk (formerly Landskappleiken). Our journey was slowed by a very punctured tire that we limped along on from Kongsberg to Geilo; we filled it once with air and once with foam. Upon arriving in Geilo ten hours later, we changed to the mini tire to be certain that we could drive to the gas station in the morning. In the morning we found out that the tire had four holes in it and we didn't manage to leave before replacing two tires (they wouldn't let us fix just the one).
Our first adventure as a couple was a cross-country tour. We took off from Rauland on a Saturday afternoon by bus. The plan was to catch the night bus to Uppsala (yippee!), but that plan fell through when the bus was full. I called everyone we knew in Oslo. A classmate of ours came through with his mother's apartment in a very nice neighborhood in Oslo. His mother was moving so, we got the place to ourselves for the few hours we were there.
Early the next morning we found our way back out of the courtyard (we were very nearly locked in) and back to the bus station. After nine long hours on the bus, we arrived at the central station in Stockholm where we met David's mother, Nina. We were very happy that she was in the city and driving up to Uppsala, because we were very hungry and had run into some money trouble (my bank card had stopped working and David was broke). She made good time and we arrived at his home outside the city and met his brother, Thomas, and father, Anders. Everyone was very welcoming - it was fantastic to be home.
After dinner we went for a walk in the forest, then took a shower, and played some music. We were generally exhausted from our journey, but it was good to move, good to play, and phenomenal to be clean. I could have slept through the whole following day, but it was Thomas' birthday so we got up early and woke him up with cake, song, and presents. It was very festive.
In the afternoon, David took me on an Uppsala sightseeing tour. We met a couple friends of his for coffee and sat outside at a cafe in the almost too warm sunshine. We did some shopping (cough drops and a new tooth brush), visited David's high school, the cathedral, and the salvation army. Before leaving town we stopped at the concert hall, both to admire the building and the view from the top floor.
Hot and tired, we headed back to the cozy valley David grew up in, stopping only for Swedish summer essentials (soft serve and dill chips). Back at the Rönnlund ranch (which is not a ranch in the slightest), Anders was preparing Thomas' birthday dinner (steak!). The brothers worked together to produce homemade pasta. As if all that weren't enough, the meal was rounded out with a caprice salad and a second round of birthday cake. David took me sightseeing in the neighboring valley afterward; the pleasant drive and long walk gave us ample time to talk about all kinds of things - and test the temperature of the water. I ended the evening having a somewhat involved conversation with Nina about my thoughts on Judaism; her mother was jewish, so it was an interesting discussion for both of us.
The next day we packed Thomas' car with our things and headed back toward Norway. We spent the evening with Peter, David's uncle, in Karlstad. Well rested we took off toward Geilo and the first NM in folkemusikk (formerly Landskappleiken). Our journey was slowed by a very punctured tire that we limped along on from Kongsberg to Geilo; we filled it once with air and once with foam. Upon arriving in Geilo ten hours later, we changed to the mini tire to be certain that we could drive to the gas station in the morning. In the morning we found out that the tire had four holes in it and we didn't manage to leave before replacing two tires (they wouldn't let us fix just the one).
Avsluttning
Our last week of school was filled with playing exams, getting our final grades, and many hours of rehearsals for our final concert. My playing exams went as well as can be expected, that is poorly. I get so nervous playing for judges. They were very kind when they gave me their feedback; I have come to the conclusion that while Scandinavians are not particularly great at giving positive encouragement along the way, the are exceptionally talented in giving advice after the fact.
Our rehearsals for the final concert were long and exhausting. Ånon jumped in and helped us with arrangments and tune selection. He both gently and not-so-gently stripped away the parts that were unworkable and pointed us in the direction he thought would work. We didn't always agree with him, but we managed to make some good music. The concert itsself couldn't have gone better; we played our hearts out in the shadows of Dyre Vaa's enormous sculptures cast by the hot summer sun to an audience of locals and relatives. And then we were finished!
Our rehearsals for the final concert were long and exhausting. Ånon jumped in and helped us with arrangments and tune selection. He both gently and not-so-gently stripped away the parts that were unworkable and pointed us in the direction he thought would work. We didn't always agree with him, but we managed to make some good music. The concert itsself couldn't have gone better; we played our hearts out in the shadows of Dyre Vaa's enormous sculptures cast by the hot summer sun to an audience of locals and relatives. And then we were finished!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Shetland!
I met my classmates at the ferry terminal. The months preceding this trip had been filled with stories of a week of phenomenal jam sessions starting with the party on the boat. The rest of the class was concerned that if they had too much fun on the boat, they might ruin the festival ahead. Some of them went to see the on-board movie theater. A few of us took our instruments to the party in the middle of the boat; it was clear that the jam sessions were friendly, but not very Nordic. We retreated to the front of the boat to wait until it was ok to sleep there.
While my companions passed out on the couches, I tried to catch up on my blogging. That's when Andy found me. Our conversation went something along the lines of:
Him: Hey, there's a party in the middle of the boat, you should come.
Me: But I'm supposed to be watching our stuff. (with a vague hand gesture toward at least three sleeping classmates and a pile of instruments, snacks, and luggage).
Him: Right, but there's a party.
Me: I know, but the stuff...
Me: Wait! I'm coming!
The party in the middle of the boat was definitely in full swing. The ferry we were on brings the majority of the artists to the festival. Members of Frigg, Zar, and Box Club were definitely involved in the jamming. I sat with my new friends and listened. After a while the group I was sitting with started playing. They were clearly not the folkie type that plays fiddles; a couple gitars, song, and harmonica were present as well as recognizable blues hits. I made several new friends that evening and well into the morning.
We stumbled off the boat when it arrived and took a cab to the Youth Hostel. Reception wasn't technically open yet, so we hung out and waited for them with visibly low energy levels. Once the warden arrived to check us in, we found out that girls wouldn't be able to get into our room for another couple hours. We went off in search of food, abandoning our luggage at the hostel.
We found both our classmates who had been in Shetland for several days and food at the community center next door. By the time we ate breakfast and caught up with everyone (including meeting some of the other students who were taking part in the Nordic Tone project) it was time to pick up our keys. We took some very cold showers and headed back out for some exploring before the concerts started. By chance we found the preview concert, which was totally packed. So, we hung around the door, sweltering and getting our first on-stage tastes of the concerts to come.
The concerts that week were great. Great! But they were only a tiny portion of the festival. The concerts are very social events and the audience tends to wander around (usually to and from the bar) through out the entire evening. Each concert has between three and five artists - pretty much all of them exceptionally talented.
After the scheduled concerts people gather at the Festival Club to listen to more music (both unpublished performances by the main artists and other bands as well as jam sessions in every room and corner and stairwell). After the Festival Club closes at 5am (or a little before then) people wander off to house parties that tend to last until the restaurants open in the morning. The truly hardcore (not me) then go straight to the pub to continue playing after breakfast.
The festival planners don't schedule anything during the day. This leaves plenty of time for either sleeping during the day or sight-seeing. I did a reasonable amount of both. On Saturday, Birgit and I walked along the coastal path in search of seals. We did not find them, but we did get some good photos.
Sunday we went for a tour of South Mainland in less than inviting weather. It was windy and almost raining the whole time. We had with us our local guide, Cameron, whom I had met on the ferry and spent a fair amount of time hanging out with during the festival. A fan of music and Norwegian chocolate, he knew where to take us to squeeze the most out of our few tourist hours.
First stop - St. Ninian's Isle, connected to the mainland by the sand bar you see above.
Looking southward from St. Ninian's.
Next stop was Sumburgh, as far south as you can go on land in Shetland. The puffins just wait for you to take their photos. Below are a couple shots looking down from the point, next to the lighthouse.
After the final party on Monday (awesome music, but less fun due to the lack of a local guide), we scrambled to pack and get out of our rooms before check out. We went shopping in town. Some of us spent a few hours in the Shetland Museum; I recommend the museum as a stop at the beginning of the trip, if it's your first time to Shetland. Then we all piled in the hostel van and headed back to the ferry.
The boat ride back to Aberdeen was significantly less of a party, due mostly to the high waves we were sailing through. Nobody really wanted the festival to come to an end, but it's hard to play when the floor rolls out from under you. I slept happily under my new Shetland wool blanket, preparing for another day and a half of travel before finally arriving back in Rauland. I'm looking forward to next year's festival already!
While my companions passed out on the couches, I tried to catch up on my blogging. That's when Andy found me. Our conversation went something along the lines of:
Him: Hey, there's a party in the middle of the boat, you should come.
Me: But I'm supposed to be watching our stuff. (with a vague hand gesture toward at least three sleeping classmates and a pile of instruments, snacks, and luggage).
Him: Right, but there's a party.
Me: I know, but the stuff...
Me: Wait! I'm coming!
The party in the middle of the boat was definitely in full swing. The ferry we were on brings the majority of the artists to the festival. Members of Frigg, Zar, and Box Club were definitely involved in the jamming. I sat with my new friends and listened. After a while the group I was sitting with started playing. They were clearly not the folkie type that plays fiddles; a couple gitars, song, and harmonica were present as well as recognizable blues hits. I made several new friends that evening and well into the morning.
We stumbled off the boat when it arrived and took a cab to the Youth Hostel. Reception wasn't technically open yet, so we hung out and waited for them with visibly low energy levels. Once the warden arrived to check us in, we found out that girls wouldn't be able to get into our room for another couple hours. We went off in search of food, abandoning our luggage at the hostel.
We found both our classmates who had been in Shetland for several days and food at the community center next door. By the time we ate breakfast and caught up with everyone (including meeting some of the other students who were taking part in the Nordic Tone project) it was time to pick up our keys. We took some very cold showers and headed back out for some exploring before the concerts started. By chance we found the preview concert, which was totally packed. So, we hung around the door, sweltering and getting our first on-stage tastes of the concerts to come.
The concerts that week were great. Great! But they were only a tiny portion of the festival. The concerts are very social events and the audience tends to wander around (usually to and from the bar) through out the entire evening. Each concert has between three and five artists - pretty much all of them exceptionally talented.
After the scheduled concerts people gather at the Festival Club to listen to more music (both unpublished performances by the main artists and other bands as well as jam sessions in every room and corner and stairwell). After the Festival Club closes at 5am (or a little before then) people wander off to house parties that tend to last until the restaurants open in the morning. The truly hardcore (not me) then go straight to the pub to continue playing after breakfast.
The festival planners don't schedule anything during the day. This leaves plenty of time for either sleeping during the day or sight-seeing. I did a reasonable amount of both. On Saturday, Birgit and I walked along the coastal path in search of seals. We did not find them, but we did get some good photos.
Sunday we went for a tour of South Mainland in less than inviting weather. It was windy and almost raining the whole time. We had with us our local guide, Cameron, whom I had met on the ferry and spent a fair amount of time hanging out with during the festival. A fan of music and Norwegian chocolate, he knew where to take us to squeeze the most out of our few tourist hours.
First stop - St. Ninian's Isle, connected to the mainland by the sand bar you see above.
Looking southward from St. Ninian's.
Next stop was Sumburgh, as far south as you can go on land in Shetland. The puffins just wait for you to take their photos. Below are a couple shots looking down from the point, next to the lighthouse.
After the final party on Monday (awesome music, but less fun due to the lack of a local guide), we scrambled to pack and get out of our rooms before check out. We went shopping in town. Some of us spent a few hours in the Shetland Museum; I recommend the museum as a stop at the beginning of the trip, if it's your first time to Shetland. Then we all piled in the hostel van and headed back to the ferry.
The boat ride back to Aberdeen was significantly less of a party, due mostly to the high waves we were sailing through. Nobody really wanted the festival to come to an end, but it's hard to play when the floor rolls out from under you. I slept happily under my new Shetland wool blanket, preparing for another day and a half of travel before finally arriving back in Rauland. I'm looking forward to next year's festival already!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Leave them wanting more
After three weeks in Seattle, I felt like I could really use another week there. I'd managed to see many of my friends and almost all of my family, but I would have liked to have spent more time with all of them. I managed to dance and fiddle, do my school work and relax. In three weeks, I slept in seven different locations, drank an ocean of coffee, and ate out an average of once a day.
Writing papers is a little like torture for me. It's not something I enjoy doing, even when the subject of the paper is something I absolutely love. Take for example the two papers I wrote while in Seattle - one on dance rhythms and one about singing for dancing Clearly these are topics that I enjoy talking about and have a strong interest in these activities themselves. I couldn't right the paper about singing until it was practically due.
(I was writing this on the boat to Shetland and at this point got coerced to the party in the middle of the boat. A story you will read later.)
I love Seattle. The people, the trees, the smell of the sea, the coffee shops, walks with the ladies, the weather (yes, really), everything except the traffic is great. December is a long ways away, but it will come and then I will be back home for another refill of life in the city. Until then, I have some good memories.
Staying with Warshaw family is always great. It is both relaxing and chaotic at the same time. I was fortunate enough to time my visit with passover, so I got to join them for their seder. Of course, my dad came too, and even on his best behavior (which he was on) he still manages to annoy me. Something about fathers and daughters, I suppose.
Springdans was fantastic! Lots of dancing, Norwegian and Swedish. It was fabulous to see folks I'd met in Sweden last summer. With a little bit of nudging we came to the conclusion that I can dance up again this summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Silver in Orsa, here I come! One of the highlights of the weekend was (after the traditional strip tease), of course, staying up really late playing music with Irene. She's just so much fun and so good! Not wanting the fun to end, I started scheming up a jam session for later in the week.
After camp, I spent a few productive days at Mom's. It was great to hang out with her, talking until late in the night drinking lambic and laughing. The second afternoon, Aunt Susie and Solvei came to visit. The weather was perfect and we crashed on the beach, watching the waves and talking about life. Those girls know how to have a good time. The sun went down, the beer was gone, and it was time for Susie and Solvei to head back to Poulsbo (Solvei had school the next day). Mom and I stayed up late again and I passed out after proclaiming that I wasn't tired.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by the feeling of a tail that was definitely not the cat's dragging across my foot. What followed was an hour long real-live cat and mouse game, essentially on the bed. I can't wait until Mom gets her cabin built. Of course, the cat (Finn the Hunter) won the game, with a satisfying, if revolting, crunch.
Back to Seattle for dinner in town with Mark A (way to represent!) and off to Anna's for a few days. If there's anyone who shares my love for chillin' like a villain, it's my best friend Anna. As an extra bonus it was her birthday, so we went out to as many meals as possible (not as easy as it sounds with a vegan). Then, to continue the Springdans fun, which Anna couldn't make it to due to work, we invited a star studded cast of the retired, self-employed, and unemployed to her house on Friday afternoon. It was a jam session for the record book and we could have kept going all night if we hadn't had to get over the the SCC to play the late night set at their happy hour.
Playing the happy hour is a very informal affair. You check with the Center to make sure you won't be conflicting with anyone and then you show up and play. The idea is to play for as long as people seem interested. After playing for 5 hours at Anna's, we played another two at the SCC. Almost all new tunes! What a day!
The rest of the weekend was paper writing crunch time and hanging out with the family. Both families really. I spent time with Sonya at the dental lab (holla!), had dinner with Mom in Ballard, one last night at the Warshaw's complete with Dad coming for dinner and the girls putting on a play. Perhaps a poor choice of pre-travel television, Mark and I watched 'Crashes that Changed Flight' until it was time to go to sleep. As much as I hate saying goodbye, setting off on the adventure to Shetland was exciting and I was really looking forward to getting back to Rauland.
Writing papers is a little like torture for me. It's not something I enjoy doing, even when the subject of the paper is something I absolutely love. Take for example the two papers I wrote while in Seattle - one on dance rhythms and one about singing for dancing Clearly these are topics that I enjoy talking about and have a strong interest in these activities themselves. I couldn't right the paper about singing until it was practically due.
(I was writing this on the boat to Shetland and at this point got coerced to the party in the middle of the boat. A story you will read later.)
I love Seattle. The people, the trees, the smell of the sea, the coffee shops, walks with the ladies, the weather (yes, really), everything except the traffic is great. December is a long ways away, but it will come and then I will be back home for another refill of life in the city. Until then, I have some good memories.
Staying with Warshaw family is always great. It is both relaxing and chaotic at the same time. I was fortunate enough to time my visit with passover, so I got to join them for their seder. Of course, my dad came too, and even on his best behavior (which he was on) he still manages to annoy me. Something about fathers and daughters, I suppose.
Springdans was fantastic! Lots of dancing, Norwegian and Swedish. It was fabulous to see folks I'd met in Sweden last summer. With a little bit of nudging we came to the conclusion that I can dance up again this summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Silver in Orsa, here I come! One of the highlights of the weekend was (after the traditional strip tease), of course, staying up really late playing music with Irene. She's just so much fun and so good! Not wanting the fun to end, I started scheming up a jam session for later in the week.
After camp, I spent a few productive days at Mom's. It was great to hang out with her, talking until late in the night drinking lambic and laughing. The second afternoon, Aunt Susie and Solvei came to visit. The weather was perfect and we crashed on the beach, watching the waves and talking about life. Those girls know how to have a good time. The sun went down, the beer was gone, and it was time for Susie and Solvei to head back to Poulsbo (Solvei had school the next day). Mom and I stayed up late again and I passed out after proclaiming that I wasn't tired.
I was woken up in the middle of the night by the feeling of a tail that was definitely not the cat's dragging across my foot. What followed was an hour long real-live cat and mouse game, essentially on the bed. I can't wait until Mom gets her cabin built. Of course, the cat (Finn the Hunter) won the game, with a satisfying, if revolting, crunch.
Back to Seattle for dinner in town with Mark A (way to represent!) and off to Anna's for a few days. If there's anyone who shares my love for chillin' like a villain, it's my best friend Anna. As an extra bonus it was her birthday, so we went out to as many meals as possible (not as easy as it sounds with a vegan). Then, to continue the Springdans fun, which Anna couldn't make it to due to work, we invited a star studded cast of the retired, self-employed, and unemployed to her house on Friday afternoon. It was a jam session for the record book and we could have kept going all night if we hadn't had to get over the the SCC to play the late night set at their happy hour.
Playing the happy hour is a very informal affair. You check with the Center to make sure you won't be conflicting with anyone and then you show up and play. The idea is to play for as long as people seem interested. After playing for 5 hours at Anna's, we played another two at the SCC. Almost all new tunes! What a day!
The rest of the weekend was paper writing crunch time and hanging out with the family. Both families really. I spent time with Sonya at the dental lab (holla!), had dinner with Mom in Ballard, one last night at the Warshaw's complete with Dad coming for dinner and the girls putting on a play. Perhaps a poor choice of pre-travel television, Mark and I watched 'Crashes that Changed Flight' until it was time to go to sleep. As much as I hate saying goodbye, setting off on the adventure to Shetland was exciting and I was really looking forward to getting back to Rauland.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Rørosmartnan
To start with, Rørosmartnan is not just a folk dance and music festival. It is a full out market that takes over the town. There are craft booths and food booths and craft-food booths, guys selling fancy drills, lots of reindeer skins, and endless sausages, waffles, cocoa, and gløgg. Then there are concerts and dances on top of all that.
I arrived on Tuesday on the same train as Tom Sears who kindly pointed me up the hill to the cafe where my host was working that evening. I dragged my suitcase up past the church and met Sylvia. She gave me some cocoa and the directions to her house and off I went. I left my fiddle at the cafe because it was a long walk and I planned on heading out again.
I made it Sylvia's house, figured out which mattress on the floor was designated for me (she had eight people staying there) and headed back into the snowy evening. I walked past the cafe on my way to the hotel, so I picked up my fiddle, just in case. I was on my way to hear SVER play for dancing! I got to the hotel before they started and happened across them sitting in the lobby bar discussing their set list. I sat with the guys for a few minutes while I thawed and they got organized.
Playing for dancing at a hotel is not really very easy. First, they were playing in the bar, so most of the audience was sloshed. Then there was the large pillar in the middle of the dance floor which cuts down on maneuverability. Third is the floor itself was a typical concrete/tile job, so there weren't very many serious folk dancers taking part in the evening's festivities. I stayed content with listening to them play and taking a few photos. I was also exhausted and left when they took their break.
The next day, and every day, the middagsdans (mid-day dance) began at noon in Sangarhuset. Anyone who's been dancing in Norway knows that it's difficult to get a dance partner if you don't know anyone. Dance etiquette in Norway also indicates that once you're one the floor with someone it's polite to keep dancing with that person four or five dances (more if you're really enjoying it) and then suggest that you take a break after the next dance (or if a waltz or polka is being played). Fortunately, I knew two or three people that first day and that was enough to keep me moving most of the time.
Even if you're not dancing, in Røros it's fascinating just to watch the dancers on the floor. People come from all over Norway and Sweden (and we're a few Americans) to dance pols to the best Røros bands; you probably own their CD's - Glåmos spelmannslag, Småviltlaget, Brekken spelmannslag, Dalakopa. Sitting on the sidelines, you can see variations in all parts of the dance - and in four days of dancing there's plenty of variation to watch.
It's hard to choose what the most exciting part of dancing in Røros is. Is it the extremely high level of dance skill that almost everyone has? Dancing primarily pols for four days? Swirling around the dance floor like a school of sardines? The fabulous music? Dancing with friends? Dancing with friends you didn't expect to see? Dancing seven to ten hours a day without getting tired?
For me, the best experiences are those shared with people. That's one of the reasons I think dancing is so fantastic. One evening I was dancing with my friend Bjørn Sverre, who is a fabulous dancer with a lot of bounce in his style. I so admire his dancing that it was thrilling just do dance with him. But why was it so wonderful? One of my greatest joys is trusting the person I'm dancing with enough to give in completely and follow him (and the music) all over the dance floor. Bjørn Sverre commands this kind of respect and has earned my trust. He also leads so well that I find myself learning from him while we dance. There are so many ingredients that go in to making dance-magic!
The museum holds mid-day concerts. I went to 'Olav Mjelva and friends' which was of course excellent. And Bjørn Sverre gave a tour of Norway's bunads (he is fantastic to listen to, as well). I also saw SVER play packed into a tiny cafe with tons of fans; naturally jamming broke out afterward.
One evening I found myself in Kaffistuggu, thanks to Bjørn Sverre and an abundance of time. Kaffistuggu is an institution in Røros. It is a two story cafe with food and beer and lots of small spaces for musicians to play. And that is what happens during Martnan. The line can stretch for hours while people wait for enough space to get in. People packed close together, jam sessions pressing against one another like a car full of balloons. Walking through (if possible) one hears music on all kinds of instruments from accordion to hardingfele, played by everyone from local heroes to Swedens biggest stars.
The evening dances in Sangarhuset were essentially a continuation of the midday dances. On Friday night the evening was allowed to stretch until 4am with the much anticipated nattdans (night dance). Saturday's final dance was held at the high school gym, which has much less atmosphere and twice as much (or more) dance floor. It was strange to dance with so much space between the couples after dancing so close together all week. I guess it was a way to start saying good-bye.
When I got home from the dance that night, I fired up the wood stove. The girls I lived with were planning to have a little party to celebrate surviving Martnan - they had worked the whole week. When they got back we grilled hot dogs on the fire and ate candy and chatted. I got the distinct impression of a pack of cats lounging in the sun as we all sat there, exhausted and happy. One by one we started falling asleep and went to bed.
The real end of my Rørosmartnan story is the race to find a place on the train Sunday morning. Several hundred people line up on the platform waiting for the train to arrive and when it does, it is total chaos trying to get luggage and instruments and people onto the waiting train cars as fast as possible. The girls I was travelling home with and I all managed to get seats on the same car, which was a small miracle. Eleven hours later and very tired, we were home in Rauland.
I arrived on Tuesday on the same train as Tom Sears who kindly pointed me up the hill to the cafe where my host was working that evening. I dragged my suitcase up past the church and met Sylvia. She gave me some cocoa and the directions to her house and off I went. I left my fiddle at the cafe because it was a long walk and I planned on heading out again.
I made it Sylvia's house, figured out which mattress on the floor was designated for me (she had eight people staying there) and headed back into the snowy evening. I walked past the cafe on my way to the hotel, so I picked up my fiddle, just in case. I was on my way to hear SVER play for dancing! I got to the hotel before they started and happened across them sitting in the lobby bar discussing their set list. I sat with the guys for a few minutes while I thawed and they got organized.
Playing for dancing at a hotel is not really very easy. First, they were playing in the bar, so most of the audience was sloshed. Then there was the large pillar in the middle of the dance floor which cuts down on maneuverability. Third is the floor itself was a typical concrete/tile job, so there weren't very many serious folk dancers taking part in the evening's festivities. I stayed content with listening to them play and taking a few photos. I was also exhausted and left when they took their break.
The next day, and every day, the middagsdans (mid-day dance) began at noon in Sangarhuset. Anyone who's been dancing in Norway knows that it's difficult to get a dance partner if you don't know anyone. Dance etiquette in Norway also indicates that once you're one the floor with someone it's polite to keep dancing with that person four or five dances (more if you're really enjoying it) and then suggest that you take a break after the next dance (or if a waltz or polka is being played). Fortunately, I knew two or three people that first day and that was enough to keep me moving most of the time.
Even if you're not dancing, in Røros it's fascinating just to watch the dancers on the floor. People come from all over Norway and Sweden (and we're a few Americans) to dance pols to the best Røros bands; you probably own their CD's - Glåmos spelmannslag, Småviltlaget, Brekken spelmannslag, Dalakopa. Sitting on the sidelines, you can see variations in all parts of the dance - and in four days of dancing there's plenty of variation to watch.
It's hard to choose what the most exciting part of dancing in Røros is. Is it the extremely high level of dance skill that almost everyone has? Dancing primarily pols for four days? Swirling around the dance floor like a school of sardines? The fabulous music? Dancing with friends? Dancing with friends you didn't expect to see? Dancing seven to ten hours a day without getting tired?
For me, the best experiences are those shared with people. That's one of the reasons I think dancing is so fantastic. One evening I was dancing with my friend Bjørn Sverre, who is a fabulous dancer with a lot of bounce in his style. I so admire his dancing that it was thrilling just do dance with him. But why was it so wonderful? One of my greatest joys is trusting the person I'm dancing with enough to give in completely and follow him (and the music) all over the dance floor. Bjørn Sverre commands this kind of respect and has earned my trust. He also leads so well that I find myself learning from him while we dance. There are so many ingredients that go in to making dance-magic!
The museum holds mid-day concerts. I went to 'Olav Mjelva and friends' which was of course excellent. And Bjørn Sverre gave a tour of Norway's bunads (he is fantastic to listen to, as well). I also saw SVER play packed into a tiny cafe with tons of fans; naturally jamming broke out afterward.
One evening I found myself in Kaffistuggu, thanks to Bjørn Sverre and an abundance of time. Kaffistuggu is an institution in Røros. It is a two story cafe with food and beer and lots of small spaces for musicians to play. And that is what happens during Martnan. The line can stretch for hours while people wait for enough space to get in. People packed close together, jam sessions pressing against one another like a car full of balloons. Walking through (if possible) one hears music on all kinds of instruments from accordion to hardingfele, played by everyone from local heroes to Swedens biggest stars.
The evening dances in Sangarhuset were essentially a continuation of the midday dances. On Friday night the evening was allowed to stretch until 4am with the much anticipated nattdans (night dance). Saturday's final dance was held at the high school gym, which has much less atmosphere and twice as much (or more) dance floor. It was strange to dance with so much space between the couples after dancing so close together all week. I guess it was a way to start saying good-bye.
When I got home from the dance that night, I fired up the wood stove. The girls I lived with were planning to have a little party to celebrate surviving Martnan - they had worked the whole week. When they got back we grilled hot dogs on the fire and ate candy and chatted. I got the distinct impression of a pack of cats lounging in the sun as we all sat there, exhausted and happy. One by one we started falling asleep and went to bed.
The real end of my Rørosmartnan story is the race to find a place on the train Sunday morning. Several hundred people line up on the platform waiting for the train to arrive and when it does, it is total chaos trying to get luggage and instruments and people onto the waiting train cars as fast as possible. The girls I was travelling home with and I all managed to get seats on the same car, which was a small miracle. Eleven hours later and very tired, we were home in Rauland.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Vinterfestivalen
This past week the school organized and hosted the Rauland internasjonale vinterfestival (vinterkappleiken.com). We had the opportunity to take part in music and art classes, Norsk folkemusikklag seminars, concerts and parties. My class also organized a kappleik (traditional music competition) on Saturday.
I can say with absolute certainty that I have never partied so hard, worked so hard, and learned so much in one week. Especially not all at once. My current level of exhaustion is extreme, but I wouldn't have missed a second of it. In fact, if I could have figured out a way to sleep less, I would have.
The festival got started when the students (and teachers) from Nitra, Slovakia arrived on Monday night. We joined them at at the school for a welcome jam session that lasted until the small hours of the morning. I managed to catch Slovak fever, the cure for which is more Slovakian music and brennevin.
Tuesday was our day to prepare for the kappleik, before the festival really got started. We found the sound equipment and the stage decorations. We made sure we would have enough change in the cash boxes and money for the kappleik prizes. We had time for a walk through of the Saturday events. Then we met the Slovak group for a couple of hours of fiddle exchange before dinner.
After dinner, some of the Slovak students met some of us at Anja's house for tea. Eventually things drifted to her room where the instruments were. Anja jammed with the Slovakians while the rest of us listened and then we drifted back to the living room for another cup of tea. It was time to let Anja sleep, so we headed back to the party at the school, which hadn't quite managed to get off the ground until we showed up.
There were some Norwegians there, including my friend Olav who was teaching one of the music workshops during the festival. He passed his hardingfele around to the other Norwegians and there was lots of nasjonalspel and dancing in the lunchroom. This was clearly not the first time and nor would it be the last. After my stomach gave me a sign that it was time to go to sleep, I dragged myself away from the party and back to bed.
The festival started Wednesday with Olav's workshop. Not very many people showed up, which meant that I had time to attempt to learn the tunes he was teaching. In the afternoon, I took a singing workshop with Hill Romtveit, a local kvedar with an interesting repertoire and a great singing style. The evening event was a concert by the Slovakian and Romanian guest musicians at the local pub. After the concert, they sat in the corner and played and played and played. They played until the pub closed, and we headed back to the school to finish the evenings festivities properly.
On Thursday, I listened to the seminars given for members of the Norsk Folkemusikklag. The theme was 'Toward a common Nordic sound style?' The various lecturers had different opinions with regard to defining the cultural region in reference and the existence or source of a common sound ideal. The day ended with a lecture about dance in The North with respect to the topic at hand and was really quite interesting.
After the lectures and dinner, we all headed back to the pub for another folk music concert. This time with a North Sea focus, Gabriel Fliflet and friends played a whole range of instruments and a variety of styles. After the concert, I found my way into the little room with the Slovakian students and listened to complex ornamentation and rich, full harmony for hours. Occasionally, I dragged Lucia out of our little world and danced while Per Gudmundson played the seductive Swedish pulse of polska on the dance floor behind us. Naturally the party continued long after we got sent home.
Friday morning, bright and early, we tuned our fiddles again for a workshop in music from Shetland. We raced through a pile of tunes with shivers and burls. The afternoon workshop was back to Sweden with Per Gudmundson, followed by a dance workshop taught by Mats Nilsson. I didn't make it to the evening concert (it was the only nap I took all week), but I did manage to get my eyes back open and my dance shoes on in time to dance all evening.
All evening that is, until we closed the school and the teachers wanted us to go home so we could go to sleep. Stine said we could move the party to her place, so we did. Almost the entire festival showed up and crowded into her tiny kitchen and room (it's the same size as mine). Before I even managed to get in the door, there were fiddles out and people were jamming. All of the chairs had been removed because there wasn't room for them. It is so cold here right now, that I'd broken a string on the way up from the school. Fortunately I had an extra and threw myself into the fiddling. When the tunes moved to Shetland, I passed my fiddle off to one of the experts for a while; I got it back when the jam returned to Swedish music. It was a brilliant party, that ended with a lot of drunks, but fortunately, I had gone to sleep before it lost it's shine.
Saturday morning came a little too soon, but it was time for my class to put on a competition, so off I went. There was a lot of running back and forth in the beginning, but on the whole, we managed to pull off what looked like a reasonably organized competition. The judges were happy with our system; the competitors seemed at ease or at least not put out by our level of planning. We managed to finish early enough that the judges had time for an hour break before the concert and we were able to announce the winners and finalists in good time before the concert began. I didn't get to hear all of the concert, because I was busy making sure things would be ready for the final prize announcement. I did manage to hear Olav play (magical) and the see the first half of the Slovakians (they played and danced this time!).
After the concert there was dancing. It was easily the best dancing I've done in Norway. Ever. I was completely worn out, but managed to find the energy for terrific teledans, great gammaldans, and perfect polskor. I didn't stay until the end of the night, because I was so tired. I wasn't surprised later when the party came up to my house and I got out of bed to join the fun. Fortunately, it wasn't that much fun and I went back to sleep after about an hour.
We still have to tie up some loose ends, but all in all things went pretty well. On Sunday we cleaned the school. Afterward we had dinner with the remaining guest artists. That party wore long into the evening as well, but was much more relaxing and a perfect way to end a wonderful week.
I can say with absolute certainty that I have never partied so hard, worked so hard, and learned so much in one week. Especially not all at once. My current level of exhaustion is extreme, but I wouldn't have missed a second of it. In fact, if I could have figured out a way to sleep less, I would have.
The festival got started when the students (and teachers) from Nitra, Slovakia arrived on Monday night. We joined them at at the school for a welcome jam session that lasted until the small hours of the morning. I managed to catch Slovak fever, the cure for which is more Slovakian music and brennevin.
Tuesday was our day to prepare for the kappleik, before the festival really got started. We found the sound equipment and the stage decorations. We made sure we would have enough change in the cash boxes and money for the kappleik prizes. We had time for a walk through of the Saturday events. Then we met the Slovak group for a couple of hours of fiddle exchange before dinner.
After dinner, some of the Slovak students met some of us at Anja's house for tea. Eventually things drifted to her room where the instruments were. Anja jammed with the Slovakians while the rest of us listened and then we drifted back to the living room for another cup of tea. It was time to let Anja sleep, so we headed back to the party at the school, which hadn't quite managed to get off the ground until we showed up.
There were some Norwegians there, including my friend Olav who was teaching one of the music workshops during the festival. He passed his hardingfele around to the other Norwegians and there was lots of nasjonalspel and dancing in the lunchroom. This was clearly not the first time and nor would it be the last. After my stomach gave me a sign that it was time to go to sleep, I dragged myself away from the party and back to bed.
The festival started Wednesday with Olav's workshop. Not very many people showed up, which meant that I had time to attempt to learn the tunes he was teaching. In the afternoon, I took a singing workshop with Hill Romtveit, a local kvedar with an interesting repertoire and a great singing style. The evening event was a concert by the Slovakian and Romanian guest musicians at the local pub. After the concert, they sat in the corner and played and played and played. They played until the pub closed, and we headed back to the school to finish the evenings festivities properly.
On Thursday, I listened to the seminars given for members of the Norsk Folkemusikklag. The theme was 'Toward a common Nordic sound style?' The various lecturers had different opinions with regard to defining the cultural region in reference and the existence or source of a common sound ideal. The day ended with a lecture about dance in The North with respect to the topic at hand and was really quite interesting.
After the lectures and dinner, we all headed back to the pub for another folk music concert. This time with a North Sea focus, Gabriel Fliflet and friends played a whole range of instruments and a variety of styles. After the concert, I found my way into the little room with the Slovakian students and listened to complex ornamentation and rich, full harmony for hours. Occasionally, I dragged Lucia out of our little world and danced while Per Gudmundson played the seductive Swedish pulse of polska on the dance floor behind us. Naturally the party continued long after we got sent home.
Friday morning, bright and early, we tuned our fiddles again for a workshop in music from Shetland. We raced through a pile of tunes with shivers and burls. The afternoon workshop was back to Sweden with Per Gudmundson, followed by a dance workshop taught by Mats Nilsson. I didn't make it to the evening concert (it was the only nap I took all week), but I did manage to get my eyes back open and my dance shoes on in time to dance all evening.
All evening that is, until we closed the school and the teachers wanted us to go home so we could go to sleep. Stine said we could move the party to her place, so we did. Almost the entire festival showed up and crowded into her tiny kitchen and room (it's the same size as mine). Before I even managed to get in the door, there were fiddles out and people were jamming. All of the chairs had been removed because there wasn't room for them. It is so cold here right now, that I'd broken a string on the way up from the school. Fortunately I had an extra and threw myself into the fiddling. When the tunes moved to Shetland, I passed my fiddle off to one of the experts for a while; I got it back when the jam returned to Swedish music. It was a brilliant party, that ended with a lot of drunks, but fortunately, I had gone to sleep before it lost it's shine.
Saturday morning came a little too soon, but it was time for my class to put on a competition, so off I went. There was a lot of running back and forth in the beginning, but on the whole, we managed to pull off what looked like a reasonably organized competition. The judges were happy with our system; the competitors seemed at ease or at least not put out by our level of planning. We managed to finish early enough that the judges had time for an hour break before the concert and we were able to announce the winners and finalists in good time before the concert began. I didn't get to hear all of the concert, because I was busy making sure things would be ready for the final prize announcement. I did manage to hear Olav play (magical) and the see the first half of the Slovakians (they played and danced this time!).
After the concert there was dancing. It was easily the best dancing I've done in Norway. Ever. I was completely worn out, but managed to find the energy for terrific teledans, great gammaldans, and perfect polskor. I didn't stay until the end of the night, because I was so tired. I wasn't surprised later when the party came up to my house and I got out of bed to join the fun. Fortunately, it wasn't that much fun and I went back to sleep after about an hour.
We still have to tie up some loose ends, but all in all things went pretty well. On Sunday we cleaned the school. Afterward we had dinner with the remaining guest artists. That party wore long into the evening as well, but was much more relaxing and a perfect way to end a wonderful week.
Birthday
Last Saturday was my birthday. In an effort to get prepared, I baked two cakes (well one cake and brownies) on Friday. Ok, the cake didn't really bake so much as rise up out of the pan and get burned while remaining completely liquid in the center. I made the decision to rescue the party by making a new cake, learning from the lessons of the first one.
On Saturday, I made cake. And Birgit made cake. And Mona brought cake. Eventually we had six cakes and ice cream to complement the dinner I made.
Dinner was deviled eggs, a couple of quiches, rice, and salad. I'd invited roughly eight of my friends for dinner and everyone else for dessert and party afterward. For me the highlight of the evening was sitting at the head of the table while everyone stood and sang the Norwegian birthday song!
The party continued until long into the night. We played games. We played fiddles. I got to talk to lots of people. It was a lovely way to spend my birthday, even though I missed my family and Seattle friends.
On Saturday, I made cake. And Birgit made cake. And Mona brought cake. Eventually we had six cakes and ice cream to complement the dinner I made.
Dinner was deviled eggs, a couple of quiches, rice, and salad. I'd invited roughly eight of my friends for dinner and everyone else for dessert and party afterward. For me the highlight of the evening was sitting at the head of the table while everyone stood and sang the Norwegian birthday song!
The party continued until long into the night. We played games. We played fiddles. I got to talk to lots of people. It was a lovely way to spend my birthday, even though I missed my family and Seattle friends.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Burrs in my Side
I think I have managed, to a substantial degree, to avoid complaining on this blog. This probably accounts for it being one of the less exciting personal accounts of life at school on the internet. I am going to take a moment to share with you, my dear friends and readers, what little I have to complain about, which should put all of the posts about the weather into perspective.
First, it is my opinion that the whole point of being here is, well, being here. By that I mean, attending classes, going to concerts, taking time to practice, and soaking up as much as possible of Rauland. It's not a big place, but it's got a lot of history. It absolutely infuriates me that so many of the other students here (I come up with at least 3 names without trying and that's almost ten percent of the student body) don't care enough to come to class everyday, or on time. Now, I am not the world's most punctual individual, and I am planning to take two weeks off of school to be at home in April, so I clearly don't consider myself the perfect student. But I find the disrespectful behavior of my classmates appalling.
Next: A cooling world economy has meant that Rauland's ski season has gotten off to a slow start. This means that I haven't been working at the hotel which in turn means that I haven't been earning nearly as much as I would like to earn. This is compounded with January being the month to buy travel tickets and a unwillingness to exert real spending controls has put me deep in the red for January. Fortunately, I'm operating on a fiscal budget that started in July and looks like it will stretch until June. Next year I'll have to find a cheaper place to live.
Third: I like to work on projects in teams, it turns out. This is a shock to me since I always detested group projects in school. What makes teamwork function is all of the team-members working enthusiastically (or at least working) toward the common goal. Our class project (Vinterkappleiken) is not voluntary, so it should go without saying that some people are more interested in it's success than others. Regardless of interest level, everyone has a job and it needs to get done now. The festival starts in ten days. I'm tired of being asked why we're having a meeting. We have meetings because they give people deadlines to meet. Without deadlines, work doesn't get done. If work doesn't get done, we look like a bunch of idiots come February 14th. My job as co-chair of the kappleik is to make sure that we don't look like a bunch of idiots, but I can't do that with barely half of the class participating in the planning process.
I also have some conflicting complaints about playing music. I really want to play more in small groups (playing with the whole class is nearly impossible to coordinate). I also want to play more solo for dancing. Allow me to explain the difference. When playing in a group, it is extremely important that everyone gets along with each other; communication is critical. We're supposed to be having fun, so it's vital that the group members enjoy each others' company and can find musical common ground.
I want to play for dancing alone because it's a much more personal experience and it's much easier to react to the dancers. Jamming with an audience annoys me; I also don't really like listening to jamming. It probably comes back to playing with people who have a similar viewpoint about danceability in music. It's one thing to sit with a group of musicians who have a similar background and repertoire and just play tunes - that can be great fun. It's another thing entirely to try to find common ground with other musicians while the dancers stand around, get bored, and leave. That kind of jamming should be left for kitchens and corners while the dancers and people trying to enjoy a beer can relax and enjoy their activity of choice.
Finally, my biggest complaint. Everyone who saw my apartment in Ballard knows that when I live alone, tidy is not a word most people would use to describe my living situation. I currently share a kitchen and I do my best to make sure that when I get something dirty, I clean up after myself. This is pretty easy since we have a dishwasher. The other girl in the kitchen doesn't seem to think it's that important. Actually, if I didn't clean, I don't know if it would ever be clean in the kitchen. I had finally come to terms with this, when she started eating my food. Not just practical sharing of more perishable items and things that are cheaper in bulk (milk, cheese, butter, onions, potatoes, etc.), but the expensive things like fruit, meat, and beer. Before the holidays, I don't think she went grocery shopping for three weeks. That's expensive in Norway. I don't mind sharing food, but I don't like stealing.
Ok, enough for now. On to more positive thinking!
First, it is my opinion that the whole point of being here is, well, being here. By that I mean, attending classes, going to concerts, taking time to practice, and soaking up as much as possible of Rauland. It's not a big place, but it's got a lot of history. It absolutely infuriates me that so many of the other students here (I come up with at least 3 names without trying and that's almost ten percent of the student body) don't care enough to come to class everyday, or on time. Now, I am not the world's most punctual individual, and I am planning to take two weeks off of school to be at home in April, so I clearly don't consider myself the perfect student. But I find the disrespectful behavior of my classmates appalling.
Next: A cooling world economy has meant that Rauland's ski season has gotten off to a slow start. This means that I haven't been working at the hotel which in turn means that I haven't been earning nearly as much as I would like to earn. This is compounded with January being the month to buy travel tickets and a unwillingness to exert real spending controls has put me deep in the red for January. Fortunately, I'm operating on a fiscal budget that started in July and looks like it will stretch until June. Next year I'll have to find a cheaper place to live.
Third: I like to work on projects in teams, it turns out. This is a shock to me since I always detested group projects in school. What makes teamwork function is all of the team-members working enthusiastically (or at least working) toward the common goal. Our class project (Vinterkappleiken) is not voluntary, so it should go without saying that some people are more interested in it's success than others. Regardless of interest level, everyone has a job and it needs to get done now. The festival starts in ten days. I'm tired of being asked why we're having a meeting. We have meetings because they give people deadlines to meet. Without deadlines, work doesn't get done. If work doesn't get done, we look like a bunch of idiots come February 14th. My job as co-chair of the kappleik is to make sure that we don't look like a bunch of idiots, but I can't do that with barely half of the class participating in the planning process.
I also have some conflicting complaints about playing music. I really want to play more in small groups (playing with the whole class is nearly impossible to coordinate). I also want to play more solo for dancing. Allow me to explain the difference. When playing in a group, it is extremely important that everyone gets along with each other; communication is critical. We're supposed to be having fun, so it's vital that the group members enjoy each others' company and can find musical common ground.
I want to play for dancing alone because it's a much more personal experience and it's much easier to react to the dancers. Jamming with an audience annoys me; I also don't really like listening to jamming. It probably comes back to playing with people who have a similar viewpoint about danceability in music. It's one thing to sit with a group of musicians who have a similar background and repertoire and just play tunes - that can be great fun. It's another thing entirely to try to find common ground with other musicians while the dancers stand around, get bored, and leave. That kind of jamming should be left for kitchens and corners while the dancers and people trying to enjoy a beer can relax and enjoy their activity of choice.
Finally, my biggest complaint. Everyone who saw my apartment in Ballard knows that when I live alone, tidy is not a word most people would use to describe my living situation. I currently share a kitchen and I do my best to make sure that when I get something dirty, I clean up after myself. This is pretty easy since we have a dishwasher. The other girl in the kitchen doesn't seem to think it's that important. Actually, if I didn't clean, I don't know if it would ever be clean in the kitchen. I had finally come to terms with this, when she started eating my food. Not just practical sharing of more perishable items and things that are cheaper in bulk (milk, cheese, butter, onions, potatoes, etc.), but the expensive things like fruit, meat, and beer. Before the holidays, I don't think she went grocery shopping for three weeks. That's expensive in Norway. I don't mind sharing food, but I don't like stealing.
Ok, enough for now. On to more positive thinking!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Limbo and a New Beginning
I returned to Rauland before any of my classmates. Vacation was over, but school hadn't started yet. The holidays were over at the hotel and ski season hasn't picked up; the nights I worked were slow and short. The guests were mostly families with small children who didn't stay up late and party.
Fortunately, the beginning of the semester didn't wait too long. Classes are pretty much the same as last semester, that is, awesome. My goals this semester are to play more. I want to really improve both my individual playing and my group playing and that takes practicing. So far, I'm doing pretty good.
The first Wednesday of the year, was a staff party for everyone who works in the tourist industry here in town. It was really fun! We went on a bus ride to all the various locations (the hotel, tourist office, three ski areas) and ended the evening with free pizza, pool (the kind that doesn't involve water), and cheap beer!
Last Friday was both a great party and a sad event. It was time to break the gingerbread Nidaros cathedral. About twelve of us gathered to help with festivities. We played music and hung around until we figured we'd reached critical mass, wrapped a hammer in tinfoil, and let the main builders have at it. We did our best to eat a fair amount of it before returning to playing music late into the night.
Fortunately, the beginning of the semester didn't wait too long. Classes are pretty much the same as last semester, that is, awesome. My goals this semester are to play more. I want to really improve both my individual playing and my group playing and that takes practicing. So far, I'm doing pretty good.
The first Wednesday of the year, was a staff party for everyone who works in the tourist industry here in town. It was really fun! We went on a bus ride to all the various locations (the hotel, tourist office, three ski areas) and ended the evening with free pizza, pool (the kind that doesn't involve water), and cheap beer!
Last Friday was both a great party and a sad event. It was time to break the gingerbread Nidaros cathedral. About twelve of us gathered to help with festivities. We played music and hung around until we figured we'd reached critical mass, wrapped a hammer in tinfoil, and let the main builders have at it. We did our best to eat a fair amount of it before returning to playing music late into the night.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Winter Break Part IV
Seeing as how I'm in Norway and the plan was to experience Christmas in Norway, when Erling asked if I wanted to join him at a concert and then out on the town the second day of Christmas, I did not say no. Living in Rauland is wonderful, but I was really looking forward to a night on the town.
We arrived at the concert (a rock cover band that one of Erlings friends was playing in), and Erling knew pretty much everyone there. I spent the whole concert at the front of the stage. They were pretty darn good and I had a great time!
After the concert we waited an hour for the taxi into town. Fortunately we had plenty of clothes on because it was cold! Erling had had the presence of mind to preorder tickets to the club so we didn't have to stand outside for another hour. Inside, we danced and drank and had a good time.
Afterward, we wandered around Hamar in search of food - Erling found the baked potato cart, some of his friends found kebabs. I was more interested in not freezing to death. Eventually we found ourselves a ride back to Ottestad. We arrived at about the same time as Arne and sat up talking for a little while longer, not quite willing to give up on the night.
The next day, I took a walk around the area. In addition to the best sunsets, Ottestad looks like a place from a fairy tale when it's covered in snow. Later, I played music until everyone gathered again. We had dinner, prepared by Åsmund. I hung out with Alvhild and Jan. Erling and I played a final concert and Åsmund and Marianne drove me to the bus.
We arrived at the concert (a rock cover band that one of Erlings friends was playing in), and Erling knew pretty much everyone there. I spent the whole concert at the front of the stage. They were pretty darn good and I had a great time!
After the concert we waited an hour for the taxi into town. Fortunately we had plenty of clothes on because it was cold! Erling had had the presence of mind to preorder tickets to the club so we didn't have to stand outside for another hour. Inside, we danced and drank and had a good time.
Afterward, we wandered around Hamar in search of food - Erling found the baked potato cart, some of his friends found kebabs. I was more interested in not freezing to death. Eventually we found ourselves a ride back to Ottestad. We arrived at about the same time as Arne and sat up talking for a little while longer, not quite willing to give up on the night.
The next day, I took a walk around the area. In addition to the best sunsets, Ottestad looks like a place from a fairy tale when it's covered in snow. Later, I played music until everyone gathered again. We had dinner, prepared by Åsmund. I hung out with Alvhild and Jan. Erling and I played a final concert and Åsmund and Marianne drove me to the bus.
Winter Break Part III
Let me start with - Jul i Ottestad was the best Christmas ever! We made pepperkaker (think gingerbread, but thinner) the first night. Alvhild had made the dough in advance. Rolling, cutting, and decorating was a joint effort from me, Åsmund, Erling, and Arne (Åsmund's brothers). We went for the speedy mass production effect, although there were a few individual pieces. The stack of hearts. A ukulele and electric guitar. Ukulele in relief!
On Christmas Eve, I went into town with Arne, Erling, and one of his friends. I bought violin and ukulele strings; they bought more presents. We sat for a while and drank coffee. I went on a mini shopping spree and picked up two shirts, a pair of pants, and a pair of tights in twenty minutes before we needed to leave town.
Family dinners included lots of laughter and good conversation. Before or after dinner most days, I played fiddle with Erling on piano. We found some sheet music and filled the house with happy music. I can't remember how long it's been since I've just played like that with someone!
True to Norwegian tradition, packages were opened on Christmas Eve. I wasn't expecting anything and was really shocked (and a little embarassed) to find my name on so many packages. I could tell that everyone had taken time to think about what I might like or need; all of the gifts were excellent.
Since Jan's parents were visiting, I had been kicked out of the standard guest room and found my way over to Alvhild's mother's guest room. This worked out really well for everyone. Not only was the bed particularly comfortable and warm, the family brunch was at Sigrid's on Christmas day. I managed to drag myself out of bed in time to be mildly helpful before the rest of the family arrived.
The highlights of the day were definitely the family quizzes. Erling and I somehow wound up as a team. A team that was ready to lose! The majority of the questions were about their extended family, a topic Erling was a little shady on, or more general Norwegian knowledge questions, where both of us were equally weak. There were also American questions, but I'm pretty sure I'm an atypical American, so those weren't really easy either. More clearly stated, we came in dead last out of the six teams. We also came in last on the geography quiz. There's always next year.
Later that evening we played a few more games. One was a board game about philosophers. We learned that the correct answer to all questions about French philosophers is Rousseau. Amazingly, Erling and I, with the help of Åsmund, did not lose that game!
On Christmas Eve, I went into town with Arne, Erling, and one of his friends. I bought violin and ukulele strings; they bought more presents. We sat for a while and drank coffee. I went on a mini shopping spree and picked up two shirts, a pair of pants, and a pair of tights in twenty minutes before we needed to leave town.
Family dinners included lots of laughter and good conversation. Before or after dinner most days, I played fiddle with Erling on piano. We found some sheet music and filled the house with happy music. I can't remember how long it's been since I've just played like that with someone!
True to Norwegian tradition, packages were opened on Christmas Eve. I wasn't expecting anything and was really shocked (and a little embarassed) to find my name on so many packages. I could tell that everyone had taken time to think about what I might like or need; all of the gifts were excellent.
Since Jan's parents were visiting, I had been kicked out of the standard guest room and found my way over to Alvhild's mother's guest room. This worked out really well for everyone. Not only was the bed particularly comfortable and warm, the family brunch was at Sigrid's on Christmas day. I managed to drag myself out of bed in time to be mildly helpful before the rest of the family arrived.
The highlights of the day were definitely the family quizzes. Erling and I somehow wound up as a team. A team that was ready to lose! The majority of the questions were about their extended family, a topic Erling was a little shady on, or more general Norwegian knowledge questions, where both of us were equally weak. There were also American questions, but I'm pretty sure I'm an atypical American, so those weren't really easy either. More clearly stated, we came in dead last out of the six teams. We also came in last on the geography quiz. There's always next year.
Later that evening we played a few more games. One was a board game about philosophers. We learned that the correct answer to all questions about French philosophers is Rousseau. Amazingly, Erling and I, with the help of Åsmund, did not lose that game!
Monday, December 1, 2008
A week in review
This week there were concerts, parties, work, more work, and, oh yeah, classes.
Wednesday night we had a great hardingfele concert. Olav Mjelva and Per Anders Buen Garnås played a concert of solo hardingfele for roughly an hour. They make it look so easy! Their bows teasing the music out of the strings, applying just the right amount of pressure to create a clean crisp sound. Of course, there was a lot of tuning, but it's worth it when the fiddles sing like that!
After the concert, we danced to student musicians; I would rather have had them play the concert again so we could have danced to that! Then of course the party moved up to the studentheim. After a brief tour of my very clean room, we settled on the kitchen with a sofa. The party fell apart when someone broke the sofa (it's been fixed now). One of my friends crashed on the air mattress in my room and I headed off to wash at the dentist's office.
While everyone back home was celebrating Thanksgiving, I celebrated my friend Silke's birthday. We had pizza and cake, wine and conversation. She's from Germany and most of the time we speak English, which makes it easier for me to get in on deep discussions. I tend to understand what's being said in Norwegian, but I'm not quite fast enough to cut in to a conversation and make my point in Norwegian, yet.
Thursdays are also contain one of my favorite classes - Tradisjonskunnskap or Knowledge of Tradition. Ånon makes getting up on Thursday mornings after a late party really worth it. He knows so much about the traditions in Norway and folk music around the world that it's impossible to catch up if you haven't been in class to hear what he's said. He also has a phenomenal sense of humor that is terribly dry and helps keep me on my toes to avoid missing any good one liners.
Friday was a review day in Folk Music and Society. We also determined what our project topics would be for the year. Mine is going to be planning US tours for Norwegian folk musicians. Of course, I'll have to have at least one practical example, so I'll be writing more about that later! We rounded out the afternoon by making waffles and taking naps; it seemed like a practical use of time.
On Friday evening I started back at the hotel. We have a new manager and new coworkers and therefore a new system and new degrees of chaos. Things went surprisingly well, however. Things also went well on Saturday when I worked in the restaurant and then late into the night in the bar. Ironically, the fire alarm went off when we had the county firemen as our guests. Not to worry, it was a false alarm.
The best part of the week was definitely during the day on Saturday. I woke up to an overcast sky that was dumping snow all over our beautiful landscape. It was still snowing at one when we all met at the grocery store to purchase decorations for the gingerbread Nidaros cathedral we were going to help decorate. Then we all walked together out to Nesland in the snow. Once we got there, Hallvard and Ingebjørg got to work putting together the cathedral, the rest of the girls made pepperkaker, and the boys played music. After a while I changed tasks to help the other Ingrid grind the almonds to make marzipan. It was hard to leave such a cozy scene to head to the hotel! And the gingerbread cathedral - WOW!
On Sunday we went for a short walk so we could get a good view of the fresh snow. It's so beautiful here! The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and it was freezing cold. Since we'd gotten about 6 inches of snow the day before, it was easy to walk around again, so we allowed our feet to guide us to the finished gingerbread houses on display at the academy.
Tomorrow we are playing individually for our instructors. We aren't getting grades, but pretty much everyone is totally stressed out. It's terrifying to sit in front of people who really know what good folk music can sound like and play alone. I'm going to try to remember to breathe.
Two Ingrid's grinding nuts:
Hallvard, the architect planning his next move:
The cookie factory:
Getting closer:
Wednesday night we had a great hardingfele concert. Olav Mjelva and Per Anders Buen Garnås played a concert of solo hardingfele for roughly an hour. They make it look so easy! Their bows teasing the music out of the strings, applying just the right amount of pressure to create a clean crisp sound. Of course, there was a lot of tuning, but it's worth it when the fiddles sing like that!
After the concert, we danced to student musicians; I would rather have had them play the concert again so we could have danced to that! Then of course the party moved up to the studentheim. After a brief tour of my very clean room, we settled on the kitchen with a sofa. The party fell apart when someone broke the sofa (it's been fixed now). One of my friends crashed on the air mattress in my room and I headed off to wash at the dentist's office.
While everyone back home was celebrating Thanksgiving, I celebrated my friend Silke's birthday. We had pizza and cake, wine and conversation. She's from Germany and most of the time we speak English, which makes it easier for me to get in on deep discussions. I tend to understand what's being said in Norwegian, but I'm not quite fast enough to cut in to a conversation and make my point in Norwegian, yet.
Thursdays are also contain one of my favorite classes - Tradisjonskunnskap or Knowledge of Tradition. Ånon makes getting up on Thursday mornings after a late party really worth it. He knows so much about the traditions in Norway and folk music around the world that it's impossible to catch up if you haven't been in class to hear what he's said. He also has a phenomenal sense of humor that is terribly dry and helps keep me on my toes to avoid missing any good one liners.
Friday was a review day in Folk Music and Society. We also determined what our project topics would be for the year. Mine is going to be planning US tours for Norwegian folk musicians. Of course, I'll have to have at least one practical example, so I'll be writing more about that later! We rounded out the afternoon by making waffles and taking naps; it seemed like a practical use of time.
On Friday evening I started back at the hotel. We have a new manager and new coworkers and therefore a new system and new degrees of chaos. Things went surprisingly well, however. Things also went well on Saturday when I worked in the restaurant and then late into the night in the bar. Ironically, the fire alarm went off when we had the county firemen as our guests. Not to worry, it was a false alarm.
The best part of the week was definitely during the day on Saturday. I woke up to an overcast sky that was dumping snow all over our beautiful landscape. It was still snowing at one when we all met at the grocery store to purchase decorations for the gingerbread Nidaros cathedral we were going to help decorate. Then we all walked together out to Nesland in the snow. Once we got there, Hallvard and Ingebjørg got to work putting together the cathedral, the rest of the girls made pepperkaker, and the boys played music. After a while I changed tasks to help the other Ingrid grind the almonds to make marzipan. It was hard to leave such a cozy scene to head to the hotel! And the gingerbread cathedral - WOW!
On Sunday we went for a short walk so we could get a good view of the fresh snow. It's so beautiful here! The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and it was freezing cold. Since we'd gotten about 6 inches of snow the day before, it was easy to walk around again, so we allowed our feet to guide us to the finished gingerbread houses on display at the academy.
Tomorrow we are playing individually for our instructors. We aren't getting grades, but pretty much everyone is totally stressed out. It's terrifying to sit in front of people who really know what good folk music can sound like and play alone. I'm going to try to remember to breathe.
Two Ingrid's grinding nuts:
Hallvard, the architect planning his next move:
The cookie factory:
Getting closer:
Monday, November 24, 2008
Mørketur
Well, to follow up on the last post (I think), I did not get the extra lessons after the audition. According to Ånon, this is primarily because he is too busy and pretty sure that I have enough to work on with what I'm getting now. This is probably true. It also means that I still have time to work on playing the banjo, torader, and spoons in addition to my more serious instruments. (The ukulele's haven't arrived yet!)
This weekend I celebrated another weekend without hours at the hotel by visiting the crew at Nesland. Nesland is about 2km from here and 4 folk music students live in a charming house there. Not having a car, I walked with my fiddles in my hand and a backpack full of warming beverages and homemade applesauce. Fortunately, Egil, who also lives in the student apartments, had a flashlight function on his phone or it would have been very dark on the way there!
We passed the time watching most of The Pirates of the Caribbean and playing fiddles. The time really flew once we broke out the fiddles! By the time we started leaving it was closing in on 2:30.
It was really cold on the way home. Too cold to talk. And I was really glad that mom had sent me long underwear and that the Nesland crew had lent me a hat and a flashlight. The stars are amazing here; the nights are clear and there isn't much light to interfere, especially when there's no moon. It feels like the Big Dipper is going to swing down and scoop up the school.
Of course, we didn't leave before we had some applesauce. Don't ask me why, I'm sure it's cultural, but Norwegians really want to put applesauce on bread. I guess it sort of makes sense; applesauce resembles jam and Norwegians put just about everything on bread. Still, I would much rather have it fresh and warm on ice cream or just by itself!
Sunday I cleaned my room. I suppose that's not really that exciting, but it is worth mentioning. It was starting to get a little deep in here.
The high-light of today was definitely the dinner I made! Chicken curry salad, as close to Mom's recipe as I could manage. I cooked the chicken with perhaps too much curry and a little bit of coriander, salt and pepper. While the chicken cooled, I chopped up a quarter of an onion, a ton of celery, red grapes, and almonds which I toasted with a little olive oil and salt. I mixed it all together with less mayonnaise than I would have used at home and ate it with rice. Yum!
This weekend I celebrated another weekend without hours at the hotel by visiting the crew at Nesland. Nesland is about 2km from here and 4 folk music students live in a charming house there. Not having a car, I walked with my fiddles in my hand and a backpack full of warming beverages and homemade applesauce. Fortunately, Egil, who also lives in the student apartments, had a flashlight function on his phone or it would have been very dark on the way there!
We passed the time watching most of The Pirates of the Caribbean and playing fiddles. The time really flew once we broke out the fiddles! By the time we started leaving it was closing in on 2:30.
It was really cold on the way home. Too cold to talk. And I was really glad that mom had sent me long underwear and that the Nesland crew had lent me a hat and a flashlight. The stars are amazing here; the nights are clear and there isn't much light to interfere, especially when there's no moon. It feels like the Big Dipper is going to swing down and scoop up the school.
Of course, we didn't leave before we had some applesauce. Don't ask me why, I'm sure it's cultural, but Norwegians really want to put applesauce on bread. I guess it sort of makes sense; applesauce resembles jam and Norwegians put just about everything on bread. Still, I would much rather have it fresh and warm on ice cream or just by itself!
Sunday I cleaned my room. I suppose that's not really that exciting, but it is worth mentioning. It was starting to get a little deep in here.
The high-light of today was definitely the dinner I made! Chicken curry salad, as close to Mom's recipe as I could manage. I cooked the chicken with perhaps too much curry and a little bit of coriander, salt and pepper. While the chicken cooled, I chopped up a quarter of an onion, a ton of celery, red grapes, and almonds which I toasted with a little olive oil and salt. I mixed it all together with less mayonnaise than I would have used at home and ate it with rice. Yum!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy
Wow! What a week!
Over the weekend, starting Thursday night, I took a fabulous course with Unni Boksasp. She is brilliant; her voice is amazing, she is a phenomenal teacher, and she is a really nice person. Over the course of the weekend she managed to make everyone in the class happy by covering pretty much every genre possible in Norwegian vocal tradition (from cow calls to religious folksongs). We also all got a fifteen minute private lesson with her. While fifteen minutes isn't a very long time, she did manage to give good tips and encouragement.
Unni gave two bits of advice I can pass on here. The first is it really is important to warm up if you're going to be singing for any length of time. Each day we warmed up for about a half an hour, and then another ten to fifteen minutes after lunch. Remember that you should warm up your whole body when you sing!
The second bit of advice is - enunciate. Enunciate everything until you think you've got it clear and then over enunciate a little bit more. Especially if you're tralling, the syllables are what drive the rhythm in the music and are very important. If you're singing for dancing (or dancing to singing) you can appreciate how important the enunciation of the rhythm is. That's not to say that everyone in a group has to use the same syllables in a trall, but that's a different topic...
Somewhere during the course of the weekend I managed to find time to write my first paper. Our assignment was to analyze a tune (Skjåken, track #3 on CD5 - Folkemusikk fra Oppland in the Norsk Folkemusikk series). I think the entire class made the assignment harder than it needed to be, but it wasn't easy. Also, the tune is enough to drive a person crazy after listening to it nearly 100 times in the span of a week.
If that weren't enough, we had auditions today for extra lessons. The way it works is if you're good enough to be worthy of extra lessons, the teachers will try to find the time to give them to you. Otherwise, you get a note saying something along the lines of, 'We think you have enough with what you're getting now.' So, I practiced like mad all weekend (between taking the course with Unni and working on the paper).
Today at 4pm it was my turn in the hot seat. I was up first and got to the room before the instructors. I had prepared four tunes, but was only going to play three of them. I was shaking like a leaf. This isn't particularly compatible with fiddling, but I didn't really have any options. I sat down, introduced my first tune, said some words about the tuning and played it.
They were tapping their feet. I made it through the rough parts. I remembered to breath. It was over! Two more tunes...
I announced them, still shaking, and began to play. I survived the first one and introduced the last tune. I played it. Finally, I was done with the ordeal! My mistakes were minor, but they were there. I wasn't playing for a prize, but I was playing for judges. I'll know by the end of the week if I passed that test or not. At least I tried.
Over the weekend, starting Thursday night, I took a fabulous course with Unni Boksasp. She is brilliant; her voice is amazing, she is a phenomenal teacher, and she is a really nice person. Over the course of the weekend she managed to make everyone in the class happy by covering pretty much every genre possible in Norwegian vocal tradition (from cow calls to religious folksongs). We also all got a fifteen minute private lesson with her. While fifteen minutes isn't a very long time, she did manage to give good tips and encouragement.
Unni gave two bits of advice I can pass on here. The first is it really is important to warm up if you're going to be singing for any length of time. Each day we warmed up for about a half an hour, and then another ten to fifteen minutes after lunch. Remember that you should warm up your whole body when you sing!
The second bit of advice is - enunciate. Enunciate everything until you think you've got it clear and then over enunciate a little bit more. Especially if you're tralling, the syllables are what drive the rhythm in the music and are very important. If you're singing for dancing (or dancing to singing) you can appreciate how important the enunciation of the rhythm is. That's not to say that everyone in a group has to use the same syllables in a trall, but that's a different topic...
Somewhere during the course of the weekend I managed to find time to write my first paper. Our assignment was to analyze a tune (Skjåken, track #3 on CD5 - Folkemusikk fra Oppland in the Norsk Folkemusikk series). I think the entire class made the assignment harder than it needed to be, but it wasn't easy. Also, the tune is enough to drive a person crazy after listening to it nearly 100 times in the span of a week.
If that weren't enough, we had auditions today for extra lessons. The way it works is if you're good enough to be worthy of extra lessons, the teachers will try to find the time to give them to you. Otherwise, you get a note saying something along the lines of, 'We think you have enough with what you're getting now.' So, I practiced like mad all weekend (between taking the course with Unni and working on the paper).
Today at 4pm it was my turn in the hot seat. I was up first and got to the room before the instructors. I had prepared four tunes, but was only going to play three of them. I was shaking like a leaf. This isn't particularly compatible with fiddling, but I didn't really have any options. I sat down, introduced my first tune, said some words about the tuning and played it.
They were tapping their feet. I made it through the rough parts. I remembered to breath. It was over! Two more tunes...
I announced them, still shaking, and began to play. I survived the first one and introduced the last tune. I played it. Finally, I was done with the ordeal! My mistakes were minor, but they were there. I wasn't playing for a prize, but I was playing for judges. I'll know by the end of the week if I passed that test or not. At least I tried.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Folkemusikkhelga i Suldal
This weekend I enjoyed a trip over the mountains to the West with two of my classmates. We descended to sea-level on the bus (I hate traveling by bus) to Sand in Suldal, which is in Rogaland.
Sveinung's mother was the course organizer for the weekend, and also let us stay at her house. Over the course of the weekend, Sveinung and I took a kvedar (singer) class with Halvor Håkanes and David took hardingfele with Arngunn Timenes Bell (who is the sister of one of our classmates here in Rauland).
After we arrived on Friday, we unpacked and then headed up to Mo Laksegard where the courses were held and where most people were staying. Like Seabeck, they have houses that people sleep in, you can order your meals whether or not you're staying there, there's a small but functional bar, two fireplaces, a pool for warmer times of the year, and a dance hall.
We got straight to work on Friday, singing a few soothing melodies; a lullabye or two and a couple of stev. I raised the excitement level by getting locked in the bathroom during the break. I, like most people, lock the door when I use a bathroom. Somehow, the wrong key had been placed in the lock. After several minutes of trying, unsuccessfully, to unlock the door, I was about ready to call for help when several other class members arrived on the other side of the door.
We sent the key out the window and they tried unlocking it from the other side. Eventually the solution became clear. I would have to exit the bathroom the same way as the key. They brought around a chair and faster than Sveinung could get my camera, I was out the bathroom window and back on solid ground.
The rest of the weekend was considerably less exciting, but fun nonetheless. We learned a bunch of good tunes (stev, ballad, and slåttestev) from Halvor. We learned Suldalspringar, which is a super peppy dance. Saturday night was a presentation of everything we had learned, plus the teachers played solo. Some folks played for dancing after the concert as well.
On Sunday, we finished the courses in the morning and then began our bus journey home. We finally arrived in Rauland and made the decision (David and I) to go straight to dance. We were already a half hour late. It's always a small crowd, but it's fun and it's good to dance on a Sunday evening. Last night was the first time I've played for dancing and that was really fun.
This morning I was going to get up early to wash at the dentist's office (at 6am). I was in the middle of a dream about being late for a doctor's appointment when suddenly I woke up and realized that it was far too light outside to be 6am. It was in fact 8am. I had time to take out the garbage and vacuum, but that was all. I guess I was tired from the weekend!
Sveinung's mother was the course organizer for the weekend, and also let us stay at her house. Over the course of the weekend, Sveinung and I took a kvedar (singer) class with Halvor Håkanes and David took hardingfele with Arngunn Timenes Bell (who is the sister of one of our classmates here in Rauland).
After we arrived on Friday, we unpacked and then headed up to Mo Laksegard where the courses were held and where most people were staying. Like Seabeck, they have houses that people sleep in, you can order your meals whether or not you're staying there, there's a small but functional bar, two fireplaces, a pool for warmer times of the year, and a dance hall.
We got straight to work on Friday, singing a few soothing melodies; a lullabye or two and a couple of stev. I raised the excitement level by getting locked in the bathroom during the break. I, like most people, lock the door when I use a bathroom. Somehow, the wrong key had been placed in the lock. After several minutes of trying, unsuccessfully, to unlock the door, I was about ready to call for help when several other class members arrived on the other side of the door.
We sent the key out the window and they tried unlocking it from the other side. Eventually the solution became clear. I would have to exit the bathroom the same way as the key. They brought around a chair and faster than Sveinung could get my camera, I was out the bathroom window and back on solid ground.
The rest of the weekend was considerably less exciting, but fun nonetheless. We learned a bunch of good tunes (stev, ballad, and slåttestev) from Halvor. We learned Suldalspringar, which is a super peppy dance. Saturday night was a presentation of everything we had learned, plus the teachers played solo. Some folks played for dancing after the concert as well.
On Sunday, we finished the courses in the morning and then began our bus journey home. We finally arrived in Rauland and made the decision (David and I) to go straight to dance. We were already a half hour late. It's always a small crowd, but it's fun and it's good to dance on a Sunday evening. Last night was the first time I've played for dancing and that was really fun.
This morning I was going to get up early to wash at the dentist's office (at 6am). I was in the middle of a dream about being late for a doctor's appointment when suddenly I woke up and realized that it was far too light outside to be 6am. It was in fact 8am. I had time to take out the garbage and vacuum, but that was all. I guess I was tired from the weekend!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Update, continued.
After the fire drill on Wednesday, we had an evening concert with Nobody's Jig. Their performance was overshadowed by the best night I've had dancing here in Rauland. I danced and danced and danced and didn't play my fiddle at all! This week, we have a rotation for who is playing for dancing, so no one gets stuck playing all night and everyone gets a chance to dance.
Over the weekend I worked and worked and worked, and then I partied. Let's start with the working. Friday night the hotel had a 9 person Irish band from Stavanger (I think). Every room in the hotel was booked. The entire town was at the party. They drank us almost dry. The hotel had purchased several pony kegs of Guinness - they were gone before the evening was over. The guests also drank almost all of the regular beer we had. It was the party of the season!
Saturday was much, much calmer in the bar and the restaurant. There wasn't any live music. Just some very drunk Lithuanian carpenters, a handful of hotel guests, and a few locals. On the way home that evening, we found one of the locals attempting to walk home. I would guess that it's about 15km from the hotel to where we dropped him off. His buddies had disappeared and he was determined to make his way home. For a drunk hitch-hiker, he was a pretty entertaining guy.
And then there was Sunday. I started the day (around noon) by working at the dentist office. Around five we met up and headed back to the hotel for the staff party. Free drinks and food, games, a scavenger hunt, one short speech, and dancing. It was a great party. I spent most of my evening talking with a nice Swedish guy, who is a friend of one of the cooks. That is the time I wasn't dancing, chasing around in the snow and the dark looking for the clues we were supposed to find, or dancing some more.
Anja and I had planned to head back to town (either get a ride or take a taxi), but with a little incentive in the form of free lodging in the hotel and friendly conversation, we managed to spend the night. Naturally, we made it to school on time; before the instructor in fact!
We spent Monday learning tunes from Leiv Solberg. Today we worked on our concert program. Wish us luck tomorrow! We've got a big day and night ahead of us.
Over the weekend I worked and worked and worked, and then I partied. Let's start with the working. Friday night the hotel had a 9 person Irish band from Stavanger (I think). Every room in the hotel was booked. The entire town was at the party. They drank us almost dry. The hotel had purchased several pony kegs of Guinness - they were gone before the evening was over. The guests also drank almost all of the regular beer we had. It was the party of the season!
Saturday was much, much calmer in the bar and the restaurant. There wasn't any live music. Just some very drunk Lithuanian carpenters, a handful of hotel guests, and a few locals. On the way home that evening, we found one of the locals attempting to walk home. I would guess that it's about 15km from the hotel to where we dropped him off. His buddies had disappeared and he was determined to make his way home. For a drunk hitch-hiker, he was a pretty entertaining guy.
And then there was Sunday. I started the day (around noon) by working at the dentist office. Around five we met up and headed back to the hotel for the staff party. Free drinks and food, games, a scavenger hunt, one short speech, and dancing. It was a great party. I spent most of my evening talking with a nice Swedish guy, who is a friend of one of the cooks. That is the time I wasn't dancing, chasing around in the snow and the dark looking for the clues we were supposed to find, or dancing some more.
Anja and I had planned to head back to town (either get a ride or take a taxi), but with a little incentive in the form of free lodging in the hotel and friendly conversation, we managed to spend the night. Naturally, we made it to school on time; before the instructor in fact!
We spent Monday learning tunes from Leiv Solberg. Today we worked on our concert program. Wish us luck tomorrow! We've got a big day and night ahead of us.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
On the road again
Yesterday I left Rauland for a few days travel during our fall break. Right now, I'm visiting family in Kristiansand. In order to get here, I rode with a friend to Drammen and then took the train. This is not the most indirect way to get to Kristiansand, but it certainly wasn't the shortest way! It was, however, cheap! The most exciting part of the train ride was that I managed to get some reading done while on the train - usually this makes me motion-sick. Maybe I'm growing out of the motion-sickness!
Gunnar and Magnhild met me at the train station and we headed back to their house. We had dinner followed by watching the news. I sort of wish I were still hiding in my news-free bubble in Rauland! In between newscasts (Gunnar watches them all) we looked at wedding photos from a couple years ago when Håkon (the oldest son) and Mari got married. It was a beautiful summer wedding in Finland.
Today's plan was supposed to include going into town to go shopping. I got a late start and decided shopping could wait for tomorrow - I would rather practice today! I do need winter clothes though. And shoes. And work shirts. This trip to the city was rather well timed!
Gunnar and Magnhild met me at the train station and we headed back to their house. We had dinner followed by watching the news. I sort of wish I were still hiding in my news-free bubble in Rauland! In between newscasts (Gunnar watches them all) we looked at wedding photos from a couple years ago when Håkon (the oldest son) and Mari got married. It was a beautiful summer wedding in Finland.
Today's plan was supposed to include going into town to go shopping. I got a late start and decided shopping could wait for tomorrow - I would rather practice today! I do need winter clothes though. And shoes. And work shirts. This trip to the city was rather well timed!
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