Most of the ground on this release has been covered in the past by one performer or another. Norway's Hardanger fiddle is not the obscurity it once was, and Norwegian performers and composers have long drawn deeply on the country's folk heritage. Hardanger fiddler and violinist uses electronic accompaniments on a few tracks, and the theme of winter in Scandinavia is hardly an unfamiliar one ( is a term for winter in the dialect of 's native Valdres region). However, what makes this album unique is that it weaves together all these precedents. Playing both Hardanger fiddle and a modern violin, situates the album between the classical and folk worlds. The album is based on traditional materials collected in the 19th century by organist and folklorist , but , looking appropriately priestess-like in the graphics, also contributes five new pieces of her own. There are no vocals, but some of the traditional pieces had religious significance, and the music's winter narrative touches lightly on Christmas themes. The result is that the music seems to have a hidden narrative that remains at a mystical level, just out of reach, and another result is that the album landed on classical best-seller lists in the late autumn of 2023; it certainly qualifies as a fresh and offbeat winter holiday release. ~ James Manheim