The Loveliest Rose
This must be one of the loveliest Christmas albums ever made, a festive garland of carols performed by four of Norway's finest traditional musicians.Annbjørg Lienis a world-famous exponent of the drone-laced Hardanger fiddle andnyckelharpa(keyed fiddle), and she has also performed with theChieftains. Arve Moen Bergset's naive tenor is ideal for this material, and he plays a mean fiddle, too. Steinar Ofsdal's pastoral flutes and Bjørn Ole Rasch's pipe organ add further dimensions of unashamed emotion and unpretentious grandeur. The selections include instrumentals as well as vocals, offering opportunities for rest and reflection amid the soaring, four-square hymns. Aside from folkloric material, the set includes a tune cowritten byKeith Emerson(!), original pieces by band members, and even a quote from Maurice Ravel'sLe tombeau de Couperin. That the album was recorded studio-live in a church graces it with an uncommonly warm, natural sonic ambience.--Christina Roden