Released in 2015, Drifting Like a Bird is a maritime-themed collection from acclaimed Norwegian hardanger fiddle master Annbjorg Lien. Over the previous two decades, Lien's work has generally been wide in scope, using Scandinavian folk as a jumping-off point for her explorations into myriad other genres. This ambitious work was commissioned by the North Sea Festival in the Southern Norwegian city of Farsund, and explores themes of life both at sea and on land in the North Sea Basin. A native of watery ?lesund on the country's Western coast, Lien is no stranger to the sea, and her orchestrated musical treatments here evoke a spectrum of emotions from grandeur to tranquility to violence. Lush choral arrangements, circular fiddle, bouzouki patterns, clanging ship bells, and lonesome, droning harmoniums serve to create rich seascapes as Lien and her many collaborators paint their own impressionistic portrait of a culture recognized around the world. ~ Timothy Monger
