Music Without Borders

It's been nearly 20 years since the release of the groundbreaking album From Senegal to Setesdal, the outstanding and legendary Norwegian folk singer Kirsten Bråten Berg's collaboration with West African musicians. Now the traditions of Setesdal, at the heart of Norwegian folk music, reach out once again, this time to 18 different countries. Berg's fellow project leaders here, Sigurd Brokke, Gunnar Stubseid and Hallvard T Bjørgum, have been key figures in Norwegian folk music performance and study for many years, and there are over 50 musicians listed, plus all the sound engineers who assisted at locations all over the world.

The lullabies, ballads, dance tunes and love songs of Norway receive engaging responses from the Irish Traveller tradition, Indian raga, the throat singing of Mongolia and Indonesian gamelan, and instrumentation varies from Iranian qanun (zither) to delicate Chinese flute. It's a journey that reveals just how much the musicians have listened to each other and taken to heart the spirit of shared creativity. The languages of the world interact and combine in a celebration of heartfelt music, while reminding us of the deep-seated strength and humanity of Norwegian folk.