Knut Reiersrud & Geir Sundstøl - Didos lament

Video: Marthe Vannebo. Geir Sundstøl and Knut Reiersrud have known each other for over thirty years. Even so, the two masters of string instruments have almost never performed together—only appearing here and there on recordings for other artists. It took a departing Sildajazz director to bring them to their senses and get them to make an album together. Andreas Meland, who has released Geir’s records on his label Hubro, had been nurturing the idea for several years. It may come as a surprise to Meland that the two musicians chose to create an album based on the works of Baroque composer Henry Purcell. However, it will not be a straightforward cover album. Both musicians have a long history of reworking previously recorded material. Knut, for instance, created A New World (2021), where, together with KORK, he put his own spin on works by Dvořák and Beethoven. Geir has interpreted Coltrane and Bowie on the album Brødløs (2018), and Moroder on Langen Ro (2016). Why do we need a “Knut and Geir reinterpret Purcell” album? It may well be that humanity could get by just fine without it. Even so, we believe the world becomes a better place if more people get to experience the music of Henry Purcell. Or, as Jake and Elwood Blues put it: “We are on a mission from Apollon!” #knutreiersrud #geirsundstøl #purcell