Folk tunes have always been an important part of the repertoire of the Norwegian Girls Choir; being a vital aspect of the choir’s identity and of its active enactment of cultural tradition. In STJERNEBRU Ørjan Matre has taken a selection of Norwegian folk tunes as his starting point, and they are combined with improvisations and arrangements as intermezzos.

The word Stjernebru (Bridge of Stars) is taken from the hymn Nedi vester soli glader (The sun is sinking in the west), and alludes to the journey to the next world: the transition, or bridge, from the earthly to the eternal. The word can also refer to the night sky itself, and Lux Aeterna – eternal light – is a theme that runs through the whole album.

Det Norske Jentekor
Anne Karin Sundal-Ask, conductor
Gjermund Larsen, fiddle
Frode Haltli, accordion
Ørjan Matre, composer
Morten Lindberg, balance engineer and recording producer