Sverre Larssen
Wind Harp Recordings 1976-1977

This LP marks the first ever release of Sverre Larssen’s infamous wind harp recordings from the late 1970s -tonal long-form drone music akin to the works of Paul Panhuysen and Ellen Fullman. In the early 1970s the Norwegian businessman Sverre Larssen decided to construct a wind harp at his cabin at Sele, Jæren on the west coast of Norway. Using his free imagination and amateur engineering skills, Larssen constructed a harp with 12-strings, which was brought to vibrate by the wind. Based on the principle of the electrical guitar, Larssen amplified the strings using four contact microphones and then recorded the sounds direct to tape. Word about Sverre Larssen’s instrument began to spread and during the 1970s notable artists such as Liv Dommersnes, Åse-Marie Nesse, Ketil Bjørnstad, Kjell Bækkelund and Jan Garbarek utilized the sounds of Larssen’s wind harp.

O. Gudmundsen Minde, in close collaboration with Sverre Larssen’s family, have unearthed the only remaining tapes, photos and interviews documenting the fabled wind harp. OGM is proud to present this important rediscovery in the canon of Norwegian experimental music.

File under: Drone / Ambient / Long Form / Ethereal