Truls Ørpen: Spel under Norefjell
Ta:lik is a recording company in Norway that has issued a number folk recordings. Some of them are of current and new artists. Others are collections of old recordings that bring the artistry of past musicians to the forefront once again.
They also have their own YouTube channel featuring some of their artists.
Here they have included an old Norsk Film (the Norwegian national film board) production from 1956 of fiddler Truls Ørpen (1880-1958) playing a Numedal gangar (walking dance) tune, Oskehølen, on the Norwegian hardanger fiddle. Ørpen was from Krødsherad in Buskerud.
Ørpen learned hardingfele from Torkjell Haugerud and Gunnulf Borgen of Telemark.
Notice that the film clip starts out with four notes. Those are understrings of a typical tuning for hardanger fiddle. Some of you may recognize them as the first four notes of Edvard Grieg's "Morning" from the Peer Gynt Suite. And now you know where Grieg got the inspiration for that piece!
I'm really glad that Ta:lik is releasing some of these older treasures. They are wonderful glimpses into a world and a time that — for better or worse — is no longer with us.
You can purchase the Ta:lik 2-CD set of Ørpen's recordings, Spel under Norefjell, at CDRoots and at iTunes.
