TRIO MEDIAEVAL & ARVE HENRIKSEN - Rímur
ECM 481 4742
Anna Maria Friman (voice, hardanger fiddle); Linn Andrea Fuglseth (voice, shruti box); Berit Opheim (voice); Arve Henriksen (trumpet)
Recorded February 2016
Having released several albums on the ECM New Series imprint, this is the first release that finds the Trio Mediaeval within the 'main catalogue', and it may be the presence of trumpeter Arve Henriksen that has prompted this move for the group from the predominantly classical side of the label. Whatever the reason for the change, this is a beautiful recording that may will bring Trio Mediaeval to a new and wider audience in much the same way that the Hilliard Ensemble did with their collaboration with Jan Garbarek that lasted for twenty years and produced three albums.
And that is maybe where the appeal in this extraordinary music lies. In this instance the blending of the three female voices along with the fourth voice of Henriksen's liquid trumpet playing running through it to seamlessly create a fabric of sound that it at once fragile and yet has a tensile strength. The voices have soft yet focussed delivery with precise diction and pronunciation given as much prominence as the subtle harmonies and varying dynamics employed by the trio, yet flexible enough in the arrangement and performance to allow for Henriksen's unique sound elicited from the trumpet, often with the mouthpiece removed and sounding not unlike the Japanese shakuhachi, to float in and around the voices.
In addition to the sound of the trumpet, some pieces feature extra melodic lines and textures heard from hardanger fiddle and shruti box played by Anna Maria Friman and Linn Andrea Fuglseth. Friman's increasing use of the traditional instrument heard on the 2014 release Aquilonis brings an extra dimension to the ensemble, enhancing and not detracting in any way, the natural blend of the voices. The use of the shruti box, an instrument that traditionally works on a using belows to produce a sound or drone similar to a harmonium, is also used sparingly and in a very subtle manner as is heard on 'O Jesus dulcissime'.
The group's repertoireis drawn from 13th and 14th century traditional music from Iceland, Norway and Sweden to the composition penned by Friman and Henriksen, 'Krummi', that sounds as one with the older pieces. Carefu and repeated listening will continue reveal further delights and appreciation of the sheer scope of the music presented from the subtly arranged and controlled dynamic range of the 'Brureslått' to the incredibly beautiful 'St Sunniva Hymn - Eterna Christi munera'; and the playful ryhtmic impetus created on 'Du är den första'.
Trio Mediaeval and Arve Henriksen have appeared collectively on Sinikka Langeland's recently issued The Magical Forest, although this is the first full collaboration between the singers and trumpeter, it is hopefully not the last. From the opening track, 'St Birgitta Hymn - Rosa rorans bonitatem', with Arve's delicately haunting trumpet this is a captivating record that defies categorization. Let this one slip under your radar at your peril.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 481 4742
Anna Maria Friman (voice, hardanger fiddle); Linn Andrea Fuglseth (voice, shruti box); Berit Opheim (voice); Arve Henriksen (trumpet)
Recorded February 2016
Having released several albums on the ECM New Series imprint, this is the first release that finds the Trio Mediaeval within the 'main catalogue', and it may be the presence of trumpeter Arve Henriksen that has prompted this move for the group from the predominantly classical side of the label. Whatever the reason for the change, this is a beautiful recording that may will bring Trio Mediaeval to a new and wider audience in much the same way that the Hilliard Ensemble did with their collaboration with Jan Garbarek that lasted for twenty years and produced three albums.
And that is maybe where the appeal in this extraordinary music lies. In this instance the blending of the three female voices along with the fourth voice of Henriksen's liquid trumpet playing running through it to seamlessly create a fabric of sound that it at once fragile and yet has a tensile strength. The voices have soft yet focussed delivery with precise diction and pronunciation given as much prominence as the subtle harmonies and varying dynamics employed by the trio, yet flexible enough in the arrangement and performance to allow for Henriksen's unique sound elicited from the trumpet, often with the mouthpiece removed and sounding not unlike the Japanese shakuhachi, to float in and around the voices.
In addition to the sound of the trumpet, some pieces feature extra melodic lines and textures heard from hardanger fiddle and shruti box played by Anna Maria Friman and Linn Andrea Fuglseth. Friman's increasing use of the traditional instrument heard on the 2014 release Aquilonis brings an extra dimension to the ensemble, enhancing and not detracting in any way, the natural blend of the voices. The use of the shruti box, an instrument that traditionally works on a using belows to produce a sound or drone similar to a harmonium, is also used sparingly and in a very subtle manner as is heard on 'O Jesus dulcissime'.
The group's repertoireis drawn from 13th and 14th century traditional music from Iceland, Norway and Sweden to the composition penned by Friman and Henriksen, 'Krummi', that sounds as one with the older pieces. Carefu and repeated listening will continue reveal further delights and appreciation of the sheer scope of the music presented from the subtly arranged and controlled dynamic range of the 'Brureslått' to the incredibly beautiful 'St Sunniva Hymn - Eterna Christi munera'; and the playful ryhtmic impetus created on 'Du är den första'.
Trio Mediaeval and Arve Henriksen have appeared collectively on Sinikka Langeland's recently issued The Magical Forest, although this is the first full collaboration between the singers and trumpeter, it is hopefully not the last. From the opening track, 'St Birgitta Hymn - Rosa rorans bonitatem', with Arve's delicately haunting trumpet this is a captivating record that defies categorization. Let this one slip under your radar at your peril.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
