Marja Mortensson’s entrance on the music scene is one of the more sensational events within Norwegian cultural life in recent years. After five albums, the status is two Spellemann prizes, NOPA’s music prize, folk musician of the year (Folkarm), young artist of the year (Riddu Riddu festival), Hilmar prize and nomination for the Nordic Council’s music prize. In addition, Mortensson has won both the Hedmark and Trøndelag county municipalities’ cultural award, as well as the home municipality Engerdal’s cultural award. This is not lacking from an artist who has not yet turned 30. Mortensson’s feat is to recreate a tradition that has been lost for a long time: the South Sami joik, brought forward by the South Sami language and the reindeer herding landscapes as they unfold from Saltfjellet in the north to Engerdal in the south. Maja Mortensson (born 1995) comes from the Southern Sami reindeer herding district Svahken sijte in Hedmark. She has released five albums since her debut in 2017. Photo: Esben Krogstad Kamstrup / Olavsfest In fact, Mortensson has perhaps become the strongest sustaining force for a language that is only controlled by a handful of people, and which Unesco defines as a seriously endangered language. Mortensson’s concert during Olavsfest gave us a glimpse of an understanding of what is at stake: Without language and song, an entire world of life is lost. In this case, a world where the seasons number eight instead of four. Autumn, the sky and the reindeer Mortensson’s concert during Olavsfest is a collaboration with the Trondheim soloists and composer Knut Anders Vestad. The repertoire consisted of two “suites” (in this context a sequence of songs, put together as a whole), the last of which was premiered at this concert. Suite no. 1 “Aarehgijre – Early spring” was premiered last year in Bergen, and consists of Vestad’s arrangements for vocals and string orchestra of five joiks that Mortensson has composed together with the other two members of her regular trio, tubaist Daniel Herskedal and percussionist Jakop Jansson. Suite no. 2 “Tjaktje – Haust” consists of eight songs or joiks, one for each of the Sami seasons. Here, Vestad has, with one exception, been responsible for most of the basic compositional work, while Mortensson has supplemented with lyrics and also put his own stamp on Vestad’s melodies. Vår Frue church was the evening’s concert venue, and the medieval church from the 13th century was sold out for the occasion. Photo: Olavsfest About the content of “Tjaktje – Haust” Mortensson writes in the programme: In the work’s eight parts, we follow the small tree, the island, the cloud, time, autumn, winter, the reindeer and man. We may not recognize today’s small, imperceptible changes, but suddenly we see it – another season has arrived. In case anyone is still wondering: Mortensson sings and joiks in Southern Sami, which means that the linguistic-poetic dimension is a closed space for most of us sitting in the hall. But Mortensson is a good communicator, and frames the music with small, cozy glimpses of the themes in the various joiks. In this way, the door is left open enough for one to sense the contours of the landscape she is sketching. Cinematic lift Musically, the two suites have a slightly different feel. Suite No. 1 is somewhat more complex in its expression, while the orchestral movement to some extent bears the stamp of being an arrangement. Suite no. 2 “fits” better in terms of format. Especially on the rhythmic side, Knut Anders Vestad shows great creativity, with a lot of drive and resilient use of “strange” time signatures such as 7/8 and 5/8. Knut Anders Vestad (born 1969) is a Norwegian composer and organist from Fræna in Møre og Romsdal. He has created the arrangements and most of the music for the show. Photo: Esben Krogstad Kamstrup / Olavsfest In addition, Vestad has a facility for melodic “hooks” that give the songs a catchy boost. With a full string orchestra, there is sometimes something almost cinematic about Mortensson’s depictions of islands, clouds and reindeer walking in a ring. At the same time, this undeniably makes the music somewhat more formulaic, and I find myself missing the slightly more unpredictable melodies of Mortensson in Suite No. 1. Harmonically, Vestad also tends to follow the same well-known paths. That said: At its best, this is magnificent and beautiful music. The Trondheim soloists play precisely and enthusiastically under the direction of Guro Kleven Hagen. Indeed, they also do choirs when needed. Distinctive voice At the center of it all is Marja Mortensson’s voice, which is undoubtedly one of the more distinctive that has taken over the musical landscape here on the mountain in recent years. Regardless of the South Sami language’s distinctive intonation, there is an expressiveness, richness of nuance and melodic creativity in Mortensson’s joik that makes an impression. At the same time, this is, for better or for worse, a voice with certain limitations. Mortensson has created a space for vocal expression that does not have much to go on in purely dynamic terms. She consistently cultivates a form of condensed energy with an emphasis on articulation and sonorous control. Subject to severely limited knowledge of Southern Sami vocal traditions: I miss that her voice occasionally opens up more and lets the timbre unfold with greater power. Because when the truth is told, Mortensson’s richness of nuance did not always come to its full potential in the meeting with a sometimes rather loud string orchestra in Vår Frue church – microphone notwithstanding. The chamber orchestra Trondheimsolistene was established in 1988 as an offer for students at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim. Photo: Esben Krogstad Kamstrup / Olavsfest Trees about people It is obviously obvious to compare Mortensson’s musical world with already established variations of seasons in composers such as Vivaldi, Haydn and Piazzolla. All of these relate to a Western tradition of understanding four seasons as metaphors for the stages of the human life cycle: birth, flowering, aging and death. Nature thus appears as an extension of man. Mortensson’s eight Sami seasons turn this on its head: here people appear as an extension of nature. In Mortensson’s joiker, trees sing about people, not the other way around. If nothing else, this shows that language is something more than interchangeable labels on things. Language contains an insight into how the world is connected. Mortensson said during the concert that one of the most important things for her is to make sure that her language is heard, every day. Then it is up to us to go behind the beautiful tones and hear what the language actually says. news reviews What: “Tjaktje – Haust” Where: Olavsfest, Vår Frue kirke, Trondheim Performers: Marja Mortensson, Trondheimsolistene Workslist: Suite 1: “Aarehgijre – Tidlig vår” (Text: Marja Mortensson. Music: Mortensson/ Herskedal/Janssøn/ Vestad, Arr: Knut Anders Vestad) 1. Bïegke jarkele – The wind turns 2. Mojhtestasse – The gift of memory 3. Mojtesh – Memories 4. Gaavedh – Going in a ring 5. Aarehgijre – Early spring Mov aalhtere vaerine tjuavka – My altar is the shining mountain (Text: Rawdna Carita Eira. Melody: Frode Fjellheim, Arr/reharm: Knut Anders Vestad 2024) Suite 2: “Tjaktje – Haust” (Original performance. Text: Marja Mortensson. Music: Knut Anders Vestad) 1. Sååle tjaktjege – Øya om autumn 2. Tjaktjedaelvien – Haustvinteren 3. Balve – The cloud 4. Daelvie doekoe – Beyond the winter (Joik by Marja Mortensson) 5. Biejjieh vaesieh – The days go by 6. Jarrelostedh – Reindeer starting to ring 7. Moeretje – The little tree 8 Tjaktje – Autumn Published 04.08.2024, at 11.10
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Marja Mortensson and the Trondheim soloists during Olavsfest – news Culture and entertainment
