Agnes Buen Garnås & Jan Garbarek - Rosensfole (1989) [FLAC]

This 1988 recording may be Garbarek's most extended foray into the early music of his native Norway, crafting spacious settings for the voice of Agnes Buen Garnas, a Norwegian traditional singer who brings a rich drama to these songs based on medieval origins. Her voice is a stunning instrument, possessed of a thrilling vibrato and a subtle sense of pitch that are only enhanced by the electronic climate of the recording. Though there are traces of his usual reeds, Garbarek uses synthesizers and a host of percussion overdubs to create a virtual orchestra with wind, string, and harmonium textures. It doesn't sound like mere mimicry of medieval music, but a heightened setting for the drama of Garnas's voice, from the undercurrent of soprano saxophone on "Signe Lita" to the anvil-like percussion of "Lillebroer." The 16-minute "Marjit" possesses both epic grandeur and hypnotic power with its pulsing, tablalike drumming, deep drones, and endlessly repeating melody. While it's a kind of precursor to Garbarek's later project with the Hilliard Ensemble, Rosenfole has a distinctive beauty all its own, and a stunning presence in Garnas's voice.