Kristiansen // Vemøy let hope force its way through the dark on their album “Hymns for Shepherds and Kings”

Will the Christmas music of 2024 play like a bad joke against the cries of the people affected by or fleeing from occupation and conflict, hostilities that are the most complex and inflamed since World War II? How can we embrace the Christmas idyll while all around us we see the terrible ravages of wars that displace and starve the population of Gaza, kill tens of thousands of soldiers in Ukraine, and displace millions of people in Sudan?

The origin of Christmas and the story of Mary and Joseph and the heavenly child are also about occupation, suppression, seeking refuge and the murder of children. Perhaps the songs written over these last two thousands years about this event are precisely what we all need when dark times engulf us. Perhaps we need them more this year when the darkness not only comes from the time of year, but also from the destructive forces and the spiral of revenge and retribution that we see every day on the news.

The Kristiansen // Vemøy duo has sought out a musical expression on their Christmas album “Hymns for Shepherds and Kings” that critically explores the times we live in. Øyvind Kristiansen (piano, synths and programming) and Jonas Kilmork Vemøy (trumpet and electronics) do not shy away from including this dark backdrop in their musical expression. The album is a continuation of the atmosphere created from their preceding albums, where anxiety and aggression and yearning and hope are reflected in the musical interpretations.

Already on the opening track, “Silent night”, they let the simple melody press its way to the surface as a thin glimpse of light through a musical presence that expresses the bleak context around us. “Deilig er Jorden” (Beautiful Saviour) ends the album as a defiant protest against the backdrop of bombs and blasts from tanks and guns. Between these two there shines a belief in the future, peace and hope in wonderfully beautiful interpretations of the familiar Christmas melodies, such as “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”, “Det hev ei rose sprunge” (A Spotless Rose is Growing), and “In the Bleak Midwinter”.

A fresh new Christmas song that bears the album’s title is included. The song, performed by Siri Malmedal Hauge, is the only vocal number on the album, with newly written lyrics by Erik Hillestad, who has also produced the record.

“Hymns for Shepherds and Kings” is the third album of the duo’s trilogy, which started with “Hymns of Compassion” in 2021 and continued with “Hymns of Longing” in 2022.