Gunnar Idenstam: Songs For Jukkasjarvi (Bis SACD Super Audio CD)

Composed by the acclaimed concert organist and folk musician Gunnar Idenstam, Songs for Jukkasjärvi is a suite written for the 400th anniversary of the church in Jukkasjärvi, a small community beyond the Arctic Circle in the north of Sweden. Jukkasjärvi was one of the traditional meeting places of the Sami people as they moved their herds of reindeer between the seasonal pastures in the mountains and the lowlands. Written for two singers – one of which specializes in his own, characteristic Sami yoik singing – folk fiddle, saxophone, percussion, organ and synthesizers, the music is highly atmospheric. Purely instrumental pieces are interspersed with songs in the Sami language, and in a unique mix, the sound of the Sami yoik is married to the Swedish folk music tradition and the sonic possibilities of a large church organ, taking in influences from symphonic folk rock.