At Folk Holidays 2017 in Náměšt nad Oslavou two significant groups from Denmark are appearing, among others. On Monday July 24 it will be the instrumental ensemble Dreamers’ Circus and on Thursday 27 July the quartet Nordens Tone. This is made up of three jazz musicians (piano, double bass and saxophone) and the singer Jullie Hjetland, who sings in eight different Nordic languages. And it was with her that we spoke by telephone.
With the group Nordens Tone you sing in several Nordic languages, but I am aware that through your parents you have Danish and Norwegian roots. Do you remember which language you sang in when you were little?
It’s a good question. My grandmother is Norwegian, but the first song she taught me was in Swedish. I also spent part of my childhood in Sweden. I then came into contact with a mix of Scandinavian languages. Already as a kid I was in contact with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.
Alongside Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, all of which are related Scandinavian languages, you also sing in Finnish and in the rather exotic Greenlandic. How did you gain these languages?
My mum moved to Greenland and I visited her from time to time. And I began to learn Greenlandic. So it was absolutely natural that I also tried singing in Greenlandic. Aside from that I also studied Nordic Studies for my master’s degree and had to spend a semester in each of the Scandinavian countries as well as a semester in Finland. I also taught myself several songs in Finnish. I sing very well in Finnish, even though most people do not understand the language. Finnish is written how it is pronounced, which makes it easy. Understanding Finnish is difficult but learning to pronounce it properly is simple. So Finnish and Greenlandic came naturally to me.
How was the group Nordens Tone formed?
In the beginning the pianist Pojken Flensborg had the idea of bringing individual Nordic countries with the aid of tones. It was not intended to be a group but rather a one-off project that would record one thematic album with popular melodies from individual countries. Pojken had already before that been working for some time with the bass player Torben and also had played several times with the saxophonist Hans Mydtskov. Hans was my teacher at the musical academy and new that I could sing fluently in Swedish and Norwegian. When they began to consider this project he immediately thought of me and invited me for an audition. And because they liked how I sing I became a member of the group. Or rather to start with just a project. Only we brought out a CD, then we gave quite a lot of concerts and discovered that we would like to continue. So in the beginning it was just an interesting idea, but the chemistry also worked between us. And therefore we have played together so long. Next year we will be celebrating ten years since the group formed.
After the mentioned first CD a second album Septentrio followed, which found you in a different situation. You already knew that it was not just a one-off project. How did you choose songs for this album?
For this CD we chose songs that we liked, and added our own compositions to it. I don’t think that there were any of our own compositions on the first album. On the CD Septentrio we included my songs Ajö and Til and Torben’s composition De små børns smil. So it is kind of a colourful mixture.
When you write a piece for Nordens Tone, do you straight away have the complete sound and arrangement in your head?
We arrange songs together. But for example last Monday I began to write a new piece for Nordens Tone and right from the beginning I had the sound of our group in my head. How it comes across together is more important for me than the sound of individual instruments. There is already a typical “Nordens Tone sound” and it is that which distinguishes us from other groups. It can happen to me for example that I begin to write a song for my solo project. But as soon as the piece begins to come together, I am aware that it is much more suitable for Nordens Tone.
Returning to the folk songs of the individual Nordic nations. In your opinion do songs from Denmark, Norway and Sweden differ?
I think that language has a great influence on melody. Language is the form according to which we shape sound, when we talk. Swedish, Norwegian and Danish culture differ from each other greatly, but at the same time they are close. We are aware that there are small difference between us, but they are quite distinct. If for example you, who are not from the Nordic lands, hear Swedish, Danish and Norwegian songs they will seem similar to you, but not to us.
Your most recent album so far contains works by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen. Why did you choose him?
In 2015 we commemorated 150 years since his birth. We were not the only ones to record an album with the works of Carl Nielsen, as other interpreters also addressed his music. At that time it was something of a fashion back home. But I must stress that Carl Nielsen is the greatest figure in Danish music – just like Grieg in Norway or Sibelius in Finland. His music, arrangements and the way in which he thought, are very close to folk music. I know that it is the case with many classical composers, but Danish classical music is not so popular and in his works we found something that we are lacking in everyday life. His way of composing was special – it was grand music and at the same time very popular, close to ordinary people.
What will you play in Náměšt nad Oslavou at Folk Holidays?
Possibly we will play something new. We are slowly preparing a new CD, which we want to record in October. We are gradually trying out these songs and I think we will perform several of them at your festival. However otherwise we will play works from our three discs. But possible there will also be something new. We will see.
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