Music and Dance Reviews : Hardanger Fiddle Concert at Hancock Auditorium

Beyond a rare opportunity to hear an appealing folk instrument expertly played, Knut Buen’s Hardanger fiddle concert Wednesday at USC gave fascinating insight into the alchemy--and limitations--of a classical composer’s workshop.

Edvard Grieg had become fascinated with the hardingfele tradition, eventually transcribing a number of tunes for piano as his Norwegian Peasant Dances, Opus 72. At the Hancock Auditorium concert, sponsored by the Aman folk ensemble, Buen juxtaposed the originals with Grieg’s transcriptions, played strongly by pianist Anne-Karine Helland.

One could easily share Grieg’s enthusiasm. The tunes, composed by specific composers rather than by anonymous folk musicians, arise from short, energetic motifs repeated with variations that include quick figurations.

The player usually utilizes double-stringing (the fiddle is much like a violin, but with additional sympathetic strings running under the fingerboard), deliberately obscures rhythms and exploits different registers. Bar lines can begin to drift. The sympathetic strings create a glistening drone.

Filtered through Grieg’s prismatic creativity, the works reveal remarkable ingenuity, charm and appeal. But they also fall victim to polite respectability and academic regularity. Far from limiting himself to strict transcription, Grieg could deviate into a free fantasia, inserting a lyrical section or a coda that diffused rhythmic drive.

The tradition itself was boldly stated earlier when Buen, a self-effacing virtuoso, played a number of tunes from composers of different regions, while two dancers--a graceful Karin Brennesvik and an athletic Reidar Meinstad--reminded us of the social context of the music.

Additionally, Helland played four selections from Grieg’s Lyric Pieces with more speed than charm.