In 2013, The Church of Norway adopted their new Hymnal. The goal of this new hymnal was to hold firmly to the traditions of earlier hymn books, and two bring a modern spin to them with new harmonic ideas. This Nordic hymns are an irreplaceable part of Scandinavian heritage. The texts deal with joy and sorrow, faith and doubt, and put into words some of life’s most joyful and painful vents. The hymn tradition is a constantly moving, living, breathing part of this culture. Formed in 2002, Uranienborg Vocal Ensemble consists of 20-24 singers and is conducted by its founder, Elisabeth Holte. The choir frequently performs in church services at Uranienborg church in Oslo. The group has also toured across Europe and the United States.

For 25 years the Oslo Chamber Choir has delved into the soloist tradition of Norwegian folk song, thus creating a very specific expression as a choir. When classical music by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Bruckner are combined with religious folk tunes the result is a novel contemporary expression, where two very different melodies, singing techniques and texts are juxtaposed. The STRUGGLE that arises reveal new dimentions of music. This surround sound recording retains the intimacy of the performance and the enveloping atmosphere that arises when the choir surrounds its audience, each member of the choir singing the old religious tunes directly to each member of the audience. The purpose of combining the intimacy of religious folk music with the complexities of larger religious classical choral pieces is to highlight the universality of the hymns, and the simple sincerity of classical music, finding the common ground between two musical cultures.