Tri hjarter på ei snor – out now!

GKN5 releases their second album today! Tri hjarter på ei snor (Three hearts on a string) is now available for streaming and you can buy it both fysical and digital on bandcamp!

Guro about the album:

Every summer, my family used to visit the fiddler Salve Austenå and his wife Margit in Åmli while we were at our summer cabin in Vegårshei. It isn’t always much fun to visit people when you’re little, but time spent at Salve’s was always treasured. He and Dad used to play while my brothers and I drank fizzy drinks, ate cakes and played games with Margit in the little kitchen.

After those visits to Salve, we kids would always fall asleep to the sound of Dad sitting in the living room playing the tunes Salve had taught him. They lived on in my head when I woke up in the morning to the smell of boiled coffee and propane. It wasn’t long before I wanted to play the Hardanger fiddle myself – I don’t quite know why, but it was something to do with the combination of the wonderful music and the happy hours spent both at our holiday place and at Salve and Margit’s home.

After a few years looking out for a small Hardanger fiddle, Salve found an instrument for me. I remember the day we went to pick it up – in July 2001, at a little bus station in Ubergsmoen. The fiddle was just the right size for me! Soon I was the one sitting in the living room at Salve’s learning tunes, while Dad sat in the kitchen eating cake and chatting with Margit.

Salve taught me countless tunes. And a lot of other things that have been very important to me as a musician and a person. This was one of the most important things he told me: “Once you’ve learnt a tune, it’s yours. You must do it your way.”

This album largely consists of tunes I learnt from Salve. I play them in my way and the arrangements reflect the way I hear them. The day before we went into the studio, we live-streamed a concert of the tunes as a general test run. Salve, who had got himself a Facebook account, rang the morning after. He had already seen our concert twice and was really happy. All the tunes met with his approval!

Just over a week later, he passed away at the age of 92. I am happy he got to hear the album. This album is my homage to Salve, and my way of thanking him for teaching me such a lot about music and about being a fellow human. Thank you, Salve!

The tune “Tri hjarter på ei snor” (Three hearts on a string) is actually about three suitors. Here, I am linking the title to all the tunes I learnt from Salve, which I will take with me through the rest of my life – and which I hope you, the listener, will also enjoy.

GKN5:

Guro Kvifte Nesheim – hardanger fiddle

Anna Malmström – clarinets

Anna Gustavsson – nyckelharpa

Jens Linell – tambourine

Thomas Eriksson – 12- stringed guitar