The Belgian ensemble WÖR (pronounced “were”) plays new arrangements of 18th century Flemish melodies on a blend of old and modern instruments. The Swedish women’s folk quartet Kongero performs traditional Nordic songs in modern a capella arrangements, and composes new songs in the tradition. These two groups joined forces in 2025 to explore the spaces where these two traditions meet in a highly entertaining compare-and-contrast exercise that has gained them international acclaim.
Songbooks Live is compiled from two performances in Belgium in spring 2025, and is certain to gain them more acclaim — they were already nominated for as Best Live Band in the Flanders Folk Awards for 2025.
The women of Kongero, who have been performing traditional Scandinavian songs for 15 years, come from Jämtland, in northern Sweden; the group’s name means “spider” in the local dialect. Kongero has been performing traditional Scandinavian songs in their own a capella arrangements for 15 years. They are Lotta Andersson, who also fronts the Swedish folk band Mission Melpa; Emma Björling, a member of the groups LYY, Skye Consort, Lagerkvist, and Svensk Folkejul; Sofia Hultqvist Kott also sings in the folk trio Kalejdoskop and in a dark ambient electronica folk duo with Swedish producer Outby16; and Anna Wikenius, who also sings in the Swedish-Finnish folk band Folk’avant.
Wör has released three albums so far and toured extensively across Europe, Australia, Canada, and the USA. They are Fabio Di Meo on baritone saxophone; Jeroen Goegebuer, fiddle; Pieterjan Van Kerckhoven on bagpipes, soprano sax, and musette (Baroque bellows-blown bagpipe); Bert Ruymbeek, accordion; and Jonas Scheys, guitar. For this project, the two groups searched their traditions’ respective archives for music that would fit in this format (thus the title Songbooks) and an original composition written specifically for the collaboration.
There’s a lot of variety in these 14 tracks, from the upbeat opening track “Var är du” (Where are you), a lilting waltz punctuated by intense, rock like triplet interjections from Wör, to the solemn Medieval ballads like “Klosterjungfrun” (The Convent Maiden) and “Ridder & Jungfrun” (The knight and the maiden). The first single “Edele Wijn / Skålen tillhör dig min vän” combines a nearly ambient Flemish melody with wordless vocals and a Swedish drinking song whose chorus nevertheless sounds like a modern Christmas carol.
One of my favorites is another old drinking song, titled in English “Drinking Like A Sweet Swede,” arranged by bagpiper Pieterjan as a lively hambo. Other favorites include the “Byss-Calle Waltz” on which Kongero sing wordless vocals; the lovely traditional Swedish song “Om jag hade vingar” (If I had wings) here given a beautiful modern folk arrangement; the soaring traditional Belgian dance tune here just called “Polonaise”; and another upbeat dance, “En snövit fågel” (A snow-white bird), which apparently blends two similarly themed Belgian and Swedish songs. I love the arrangement on this one — I don’t think I’ve heard baritone sax and bagpipes interacting so closely ever before.
There’s a lot here to enjoy, whether you like somber ballads or celebrations of spring or lively dances, or especially if you like them all, cleverly arranged and performed. Songbooks Live is definitely going to leave its mark on the European world music scene.
(Nordic Notes, 2026)
