Album “Runaljod – Gap Var Ginnunga” Norwegian ensemble “Wardruna”: features of the composition and ideological-figurative concept

Abstract

For the first time in Russian musicology, the article draws attention to the work of the modern Norwegian neofolk group “Wardruna”. The interest in research stems from the band members unusual approach to creating their own music and writing lyrics. The article analyzes the composition, its structural logic and the peculiarities of the ideological-figurative concept of the first of the five albums of the “Runaljod – Gap Var Ginnunga” ensemble, which opens the “Runaljod” trilogy, in order to discover the relationship with the cultural traditions of ancient Scandinavia and its mythology. The translation of the lyrics of 12 songs included in the album made it possible to analyze the artistic and content aspects of the album, to determine the meanings of the runes found in most numbers, and to determine the concept underlying the first part of the album. The “Runaljod” trilogy is the beginning of a new era, which comes thanks to the knowledge gained by people. According to the authors, “Runaljod – Gap Var Ginnunga” performs an exposition function within the framework of a trilogy that tells about the birth, existence and death of the world.