10 Jahre Trio Mediæval - ein Porträt von John Potter
There cannot be anyone who has heard trio mediaeval that has not been captivated by their charm, which shines through every performance whether on record or live. There are many vocal groups who perform in a very professional way, create imaginative programmes and sing sweetly, but none of them do it with quite the élan of the trio.
When they first appeared at a Hilliard Summer School in Cambridge nine ears ago it was obvious to all of us that they had a very special chemistry. They had been working together for less than a year, but already they had that extraordinary knack of appearing to know what each other was thinking. They very quickly grasped the idea that all they needed to know was in the music itself, and that they had the means between them to communicate the essence of it to people who may not know anything about music at all. There was a freshness and enthusiasm that everyone around them found irresistible.
A summer school or two later they decided they should make a CD, and I was surprised and flattered to be asked to produce it - surprised because I had no experience of producing records and I worried that it might turn out to a big error of judgment on their part. But I needn't have worried - if a producer is lucky enough to work with people who are so awesomely competent he doesn't have to do very much; my function, as it had been during the summer schools, was really to confirm that their own musical instincts were right. We made three albums that way, with me just sitting beside Tonmeister Peter Laenger, the two of us enjoying a sort of private concert, with very little musical intervention from either of us. All of the CDs (and I'm sure the new one of Norwegian songs produced by Manfred Eicher will be no exception) have a wonderfully live feel to them. This doesn't mean that there are no edits, but rather that they treat every note as though they are creating it for the first time, and wish to share the excitement.
Magical though all this may seem, it is underpinned by a lot of hard work. The dedication that they have always shown has meant long hours of rehearsal. Almost everything they sing is performed from memory. This is unusual in the early music business and almost unheard of in contemporary concert music, partly because it can be very time-consuming, and partly because it can restrict repertoire to music which is easily memorised. For the trio it has become a natural way to perform and it has certainly not restricted their repertoire in any way. I can't think of any other ensemble that would consider memorising the Messe de Tournai or Sungji Hong's recent mass, and surely no one could perform either of these complex works with such diamond-like precision.
The trio has always had a strong interest in contemporary music of all sorts, and theirs commitment and attention to detail is greatly valued by the composers who have written for them. The relationship that they have had with certain composers - Ivan Moody and Gavin Bryars spring to mind - has involved a meeting of musical minds which has produced pieces that have become contemporary classics. They have also successfully collaborated with like minded musicians, Bang on a Can, the Hilliard Ensemble and the Tord Gustavsen Trio, and in each case have made music that stretches the genre. There is an assumption here that music is simply music, and doesn't need to be pigeonholed: if you can perform with such spirit it doesn't matter much whether you're on your own, with a jazz pianist, a folk drummer or a bunch of audio-visual performance artists.
I have never known Linn, Anna and Torunn be anything other than cheerfully enthusiastic about everything they do, and to take infinite pains to make sure that everything comes right. For those of us lucky enough to work with them it's a humbling experience: they're just the best.
John Potter
There cannot be anyone who has heard trio mediaeval that has not been captivated by their charm, which shines through every performance whether on record or live. There are many vocal groups who perform in a very professional way, create imaginative programmes and sing sweetly, but none of them do it with quite the élan of the trio.
When they first appeared at a Hilliard Summer School in Cambridge nine ears ago it was obvious to all of us that they had a very special chemistry. They had been working together for less than a year, but already they had that extraordinary knack of appearing to know what each other was thinking. They very quickly grasped the idea that all they needed to know was in the music itself, and that they had the means between them to communicate the essence of it to people who may not know anything about music at all. There was a freshness and enthusiasm that everyone around them found irresistible.
A summer school or two later they decided they should make a CD, and I was surprised and flattered to be asked to produce it - surprised because I had no experience of producing records and I worried that it might turn out to a big error of judgment on their part. But I needn't have worried - if a producer is lucky enough to work with people who are so awesomely competent he doesn't have to do very much; my function, as it had been during the summer schools, was really to confirm that their own musical instincts were right. We made three albums that way, with me just sitting beside Tonmeister Peter Laenger, the two of us enjoying a sort of private concert, with very little musical intervention from either of us. All of the CDs (and I'm sure the new one of Norwegian songs produced by Manfred Eicher will be no exception) have a wonderfully live feel to them. This doesn't mean that there are no edits, but rather that they treat every note as though they are creating it for the first time, and wish to share the excitement.
Magical though all this may seem, it is underpinned by a lot of hard work. The dedication that they have always shown has meant long hours of rehearsal. Almost everything they sing is performed from memory. This is unusual in the early music business and almost unheard of in contemporary concert music, partly because it can be very time-consuming, and partly because it can restrict repertoire to music which is easily memorised. For the trio it has become a natural way to perform and it has certainly not restricted their repertoire in any way. I can't think of any other ensemble that would consider memorising the Messe de Tournai or Sungji Hong's recent mass, and surely no one could perform either of these complex works with such diamond-like precision.
The trio has always had a strong interest in contemporary music of all sorts, and theirs commitment and attention to detail is greatly valued by the composers who have written for them. The relationship that they have had with certain composers - Ivan Moody and Gavin Bryars spring to mind - has involved a meeting of musical minds which has produced pieces that have become contemporary classics. They have also successfully collaborated with like minded musicians, Bang on a Can, the Hilliard Ensemble and the Tord Gustavsen Trio, and in each case have made music that stretches the genre. There is an assumption here that music is simply music, and doesn't need to be pigeonholed: if you can perform with such spirit it doesn't matter much whether you're on your own, with a jazz pianist, a folk drummer or a bunch of audio-visual performance artists.
I have never known Linn, Anna and Torunn be anything other than cheerfully enthusiastic about everything they do, and to take infinite pains to make sure that everything comes right. For those of us lucky enough to work with them it's a humbling experience: they're just the best.
John Potter
Photo: CF Wesenberg
Photo: CF Wesenberg
Photo: Asa Maria Mikkelsen