This album, Lys in Danish, won three Danish Music Awards (the “Danish Grammys”) in 2002, for Best Folk Album, Best Folk Artist (traditional), and Best Folk Instrumentalist (Harald Haugaard), and as they say on their Web site, “we are very, very proud and happy.” I don’t know what the rest of the nominees were like, but I do believe this duo richly deserved it. “Lys is yet another excellent release from this dynamic pair.
Harald Haugaard and Morten Høirup’s first collaboration, 1999’s Duo for Violin and Guitar was one of my favorite reviews of 2000, and Lys is a welcome followup. These two Danish folk musicians are one of those natural combinations like Simon and Garfunkel in which the parts are good, but the sum is even better. This latest addition to the recordings of Haugaard on fiddle and Høirup on guitar (and occasional vocals) is quite simply a joy to listen to.
Menuets, reels, schottisches and polskas fly off this duo’s strings with great verve and passion. The 13 tracks are a blend of traditional and contemporary tunes and songs, mostly suites of two to four tunes per track. The title track “Lys” starts with a polska inspired by the winter light in Denmark, followed by a lilting reel that evokes a midsummer’s evening. “Bjørnekæden,” or “Bear’s Chain,” is a loping and lyrical piece with a shifting time signatures, inspired by a tale of a performing bear that got away into the forest. Another suite, “Oldemors vise/Sorrig & Glæde” (“Great-grandmother’s song/Sorrow & Joy”) also perfectly reflects its subject matter.
The songs on Lys are even better chosen than on their debut album, in that they are better showcases for Høirup’s warm and slightly gruff voice. The song, “Rose Garden,” which is set within the traditional tune “Tiber Triangle,” is one of the CD’s high points. But really, this entire album is just perfect, especially for settling down with on a winter’s night in front of a fire, with something warm (or warming) to drink.
The liner notes, in Danish and English, are superb, giving background about each song and reflecting the musicians’ welcoming personalities. “We hope the beauty and variety of our traditional Danish music will captivate you as it once did us, and as it still does every time we play it,” they say. Indeed.
Here’s “Bjørnekæden.”
(Go Danish Folk Music, 2002)
