Adventurousness, boasting and fistfuls of lies... For her second album on the Berlin Classics label, the Norwegian violinist and Hardanger fiddle player Ragnhild Hemsing has taken on one of Norway's most famous and legendary figures: Peer Gynt. She is not part of the original orchestration, but has had selected sections of the Peer Gynt showcase music, op. 23 arranged for her solo instruments hardanger fiddle and violin together with string orchestra - and thus establishes the connection between Peer Gynt's traditional story and Norwegian folk music.
"Huldreslått frå Vang" is a piece I really like - listen to it in my video for Berlin Classics.
For my new album RØTA I have recorded Johan Halvorsen's beautiful "Song of Veslemøy", together with Mario Häring on the piano. Thanks a lot to Tormod Tvete Vik, who has arranged the piece for Hardanger Fiddle and Piano!
I'm very happy to announce the trailer for my album Røta, which presents my Norwegian roots! Thanks to the wonderful pianist Mario Häring and the great cellist Benedict Klöckner, who supported me for this project. RØTA will be released on February 5th on the label Berlin Classics.
I'm not only playing the classical violin, but also love my traditional instrument, the "Hardanger Fiddle". You can learn a little bit more about it here in my video!
If you ever wanted to know a little bit more about me, my life in Valdres and my music, here's my new Portrait Film - Enjoy!
The German BR Klassik attended the Hemsing Festival in 2019, and we are so excited to share with you the 30 minuttes documentary about our festival! Take a look here.
Thank you so much to KlickKlack / BR-KLASSIK and Sol Gabetta for this lovely feature!
The Norwegian Television Broadcast (NRK) made a documentary about the festival in February 2017. NRK recorded from various concerts and made interviews with the artists. Watch the documentary here
Together with her sister, Eldbjørg Hemsing, Ragnhild made a documentary with NRK (Norwegian Television Broadcasting) about the legendary Norwegian Violin virtuoso Ole Bull, born in 1810 in Bergen.
There are no recordings of Ole Bull, only reviews and other articles written by people who really knew wat they were talking about regarding what the violin should sound like and the best violin tecknique.
The documentary was made in 2010, and the two sister are searching for the sound of Ole Bull.
Ragnhild Hemsing plays Ole Bull piece with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Eivind Gullberg Jensen in January 2015.
The violin is the original instrument Ole Bull used in his career. It´s a Guarneri del Gesu from 1742, specially on loan for this accasion.
The concert was sent on NRK (Norwegian Television Broadcasting), and it can also be seen on www.digitaltkonserthus.no.
from Førde International World Music Festival, July 2019.
The quartet, Hemsing & Larsen, represent a meeting of classical music with traditional music from Valdres and Trøndelag, with two pairs of siblings, Ragnhild and Eldbjørg Hemsing and Einar Olav and Gjermund Larsen. The quartet played their first concert at the Hilmar Festival in Steinkjer in 2011, and have since then played at different festivals and tours around Norway.
They are all deeply engaged in their respective folk music traditions, and Gjermund also writes new compositions for the quartet. The Hemsing sisters are amongst Norway’s most highly acclaimed musicians in the classical music traditions.
The musicians plays on instruments such as Hardanger fiddle, classical violin and viola, and folk music on normal violin.
The group Hemsing / Larsen performed together for the first time soloist as a group with the wonderful string orchestra, Trondheim Soloists in 2019. Here is a clip from their live concert near Trondheim.
Hemsing / Larsen who consists of Ragnhild Hemsing, Eldbjørg Hemsing, Gjermund Larsen and Einar Olav Larsen was invited to perform solo with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra me conductor Øyvind Bjorå at Hilmarfestivalen in Norway on November 2018. Here is an excerpt from their concert.
Ragnhild Hemsing and dancer/coreographer Hallgrim Hansegård perform "YR" for the first time at Bergen International Festival in May 27th 2009 broadcasted directly on NRK tv. The music is composed by Lasse Thoresen. Ragnhild began her collaboration with Hallgrim Hansegård in 2009 and they regularly perform together in Norway and abroad.