The Alehouse Sessions —Barokksolistene; Bjarte Eike, violin (Rubicon 1017) (BJE) (BKK)
Norwegian musician Bjarte Eike founded his Baroque Soloists in 2005. “Although I am a violinist specializing in Baroque music,” he says, “I have always considered myself as something of a free spirit and so, when I found myself increasingly engaged to follow the notes written on the page, I realized it was time to break loose and start my own ensemble. I came up with the idea of Barokksolistene - a musical platform, based on the foundations of early music but designed as an open space where I could handpick my musicians and explore different aspects of presenting music, through unusual programming, a focus on improvisation and collaborations with various people from different fields. Our aim is not simply to be 'virtuoso' but also to step out of our comfort zones and really let rip.” The Alehouse Sessions…is an ever changing and evolving insight into the music of the English 17th Century tavern. It gives audiences a window into this tumultuous period through Purcell overtures, English sea shanties, and Scandinavian folk songs thrown in for good measure. These sessions have already been hailed as ‘irresistible’ [The Times], ‘superb’ [The Scotsman] and ‘fabulously unrestrained’ [The Guardian], ‘creating the effect of a late night jamming session’ [BBC Music Magazine].