Bonfrost

When they got together in 2009 The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc were something of a curiosity: three outstanding string players from three different countries, three different traditions and styles. Would this unusual combination of fiddle, octave fiddle, viola and Hardanger fiddle actually work? Shetland, Norway and Sweden come together in Kevin Henderson, Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Anders Hall whose compelling fire and energy and determination to explore each other's music and reveal hidden depths has created something new.

Bonfrost, their third album, was recorded as live, capturing the irresistible chemistry that's made them so popular with audiences throughout Europe and the US. It showcases their unique sound, their exquisite chamber music textures, and it reveals each player as a stunning soloist too. It's an album of immense variety and full of surprises: traditional tunes from Shetland, dance music from Norway and Sweden, their own compositions (for example the delicious weirdness of Henderson's ‘Adam’s Nightmare') and tremendous wit and humour as in ‘Myrstacken’ (‘The Anthill’). The party track is an unforgettable Swedish wedding polska, while the final title-track is a tear-jerker of the beauty of a hard frost on a winter's day. Supreme mastery and magic.