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Benedicte Maurseth – young folk musician of the year

 This young musician lifts 17th and 18th century Harding fiddles down from the museum shelves and makes these ”devil’s instruments” hum with challenging modernity as she plays with the strings.

 The warm, round tone of the old Harding fiddles fascinates Benedicte.

”They sound so shy, fragile and intimate,” she explains.

It is uncertain when Harding fiddles were first made in Norway, the oldest example known to us – the Jaastad fiddle – dating from 1651. The drone strings, or under strings, which reverberate in sympathy with movements in the over strings, characterise these particular fiddles. The instrument was often associated with black magic and banned from being played in the churches of the day.

Benedicte, however, solidly rooted both physically and psychologically in the present, is more than happy to be inspired by the old fiddles and the old stories. Not only does she bring to the fiddles her intense joy in playing – and that at a musically brilliant level – but she also accompanies the music with her beautiful songs.

“It gives me the chance to explore the possibilities of both vocal and instrumental music together, so they are able to enrich one another,” she explains.

In addition to being an eminent instrumentalist and vocalist, Benedicte improvises and composes her own melodies. Naturally enough, this multi-talented storyteller wishes to make use of her musical expression in all kinds of scenic contexts.   

This summer, Benedicte  was unanimously proclaimed winner of the INTRO-folk final, convincing jury-members with her musical originality and her great communicative abilities.    

In 2006, Benedicte Maurseth and Knut Hamre released ”Rosa i Botnen”. The CD got splendid reviews, Dagbladet’s Ståle Wikshåland writing: ”the tradition glows, intense and present…”

Benedicte is this year’s INTRO-folk winner, and the concert part of Rikskonsertene’s programme.