EP with original music, composed and performed by Maja S. K. Ratkje and her two daughters Marte and Frida Haltli. The music is created for Matti Aikio’s video work with the same title.
Aikio’s work Peurakaira is a poetic and meditative portrait of – and a tribute to – Peurakaira, one of the most ancient old growth forests in Finland. In the 1990s, the Finnish state forestry company Metsähallitus announced plans to carry out felling work in the forest. However, the local Sámi community protested, arguing that the forest is essential for reindeer herding. With the help of human rights lawyers and in cooperation with forest activists from Greenpeace, they managed to stop the planned logging – at least temporarily.
The music is played on old, wooden instruments by Ratkje and her daughters. The mood is reflecting the beauty and the ephemeral eternity of the Nordic primeval forest. Recorded and mixed at Ratkje’s home in Svartskog (meaning ‘black forest’ in Norwegian), and released on Svartskog Music Production May 24, 2024.
The exhibition featuring Matti Aikio’s Peurakaira at Bildmuseet in Umeå, Sweden is up in the exhibition period 15/03/24 – 12/01/25. The exhibition uses parts of the music in a different mix.
credits
released May 24, 2024
Maja S. K. Ratkje – pump organ (all tracks)
Frida Helene Haltli – Hardanger fiddle (track 1 and 4)
Marte Ingeborg Haltli – viola (track 3 and 4)