Full title: Meråkerklarinetten i solo og samspell (Traditional Norwegian Clarinet Tunes from Trøndelag). Recorded and released in 2009. The main instrument here is a small, unusual type of clarinet from Meråker in Trøndelag. Also featured are bukkehorn (goat's horn), tungehorn ("tongue horn"), fiddle (played by Einar Olav Larsen and Gjermund Larsen), Østerdal clarinet and electric piano.

Tags:
folkemusikk / Norge / folk music / Norway / album

The following is a review I found, with some minor corrections. I disagree that the Meråker clarinet sounds more like a recorder than a clarinet, but it does *look* more like a recorder than a clarinet.

"Meråker is a parish in the North East of Trøndelag, Norway close to the Swedish border. It is home to a distinctive musical tradition played on a home-made clarinet know as the Meråkerklarinett. Originally an instrument played purely by shepherds, the Meråkerklarinett was never used in group playing and had a distinct repertoire of solo tunes.

The instrument was modernised, and its repertoire expanded and adapted for ensemble playing in the 1950s by Harald Gilland, the teacher and mentor of both players on this album. Both Geir Egil Larsen and Bjørn Aksdal continue the struggle to keep the tradition of the Meråkerklarinett alive. On this release they present a rich mix of tunes and styles, demonstrating the breadth of feeling and atmosphere the Meråkerklarinett can create.

At first listen the tone of the instrument is bizarre; its sound closer to that of a recorder than a clarinet. Yet its world is strangely captivating, capable of expressing both infectious jubilation and dark brooding melancholy. The tunes are intricate affairs, passing through labyrinthine twists, turns and variations. Some fiddles makes occasional appearances, their spiky edges contrasting magically with the rounded tones of the clarinet.

The 29 tunes flow nicely from one to the next, apart from the fleeting and jarring presence of some piano accompaniment on one track, and the occasional presence of reverb that destabilises the overall aesthetic. Yet these are small complaints; in the end we are left with a feeling that the Meråkerklarinett has been presented thoroughly and with great feeling, its nuances both moving and entertaining, and we hope that there will be a new interest in the instrument and that its tradition will be sustained."
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvRKlz4kBV0