Eilif Gundersen from Ål, Hallingdal, is the principal performer. Gundersen shows depth and span in his repertoire, especially when playing long tunes and blue notes on the” ramshorn”. Gundersen is also the producer for this recording and has gently arranged several tunes, supported by Gunnlaug Lien Myr’s singing, Terje Isungseth’s persussion and Tor Egil Kreken’s banjo and bass. The result is a wide-ranging album with a lyrical atmosphere. Gundersen has employed a cultural-historical approach. For the first time, this album focuses on old musical instruments in the context of daily farm-work, the rhythm of the seasons and the old-fashioned “primstav”, calendar stick. The “primstav” is a kind of eternal calendar whose symbols provide advice as to which dates are best for planting (thus the title “Sowing Day”), harvesting and moving to the summer-farm, as well as what kind of weather to expect. The symbols and special days of the “primstav” are fully integrated into the repertoire on this recording, which is accompanied by a booklet in Norwegian, English, Spanish and French.

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