Strilefunk

The piece was commissioned by the Norwegian Band Federation Hordaland and conductor Arvid Anthun for the 40th anniversary of Hordaland Youth Band in 2021. The piece is dedicated to Arvid Anthun. Several of our collaborations have focused on arranging and performing Norwegian folk music. This includes projects such as the one Manger Musikklag undertook in the late 90s, concerts, and recording sessions with Jølster Musikklag alongside the fiddler Sigmund Eikås, and now, for the anniversary concert of Hordaland Youth Band. Arvid desired folk music in a modern style. We discussed, among other things, Valter Aamodt's "Hordarapsodi," and he mentioned my Norwegian Dance, a funky piece where I incorporate a folk tune as a crucial element. Aamodt uses the melody "Eg rodde meg ut," or "Strilevise," as it is also known, in his rhapsody. The concept for Strilefunk was therefore to utilize one of the melodies Aamodt had used and additionally draw on the rhythmic experiences that we, as modern band musicians, bring from other genres. Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen