Nordic Moods & Baroque Echoes The Marais Project & Duo Langborn/Wendel

• Traditional: Kärestans död (Death of the beloved):
• 1 Traditional: Kärestans död (Death of the beloved) 05:32
• Jennifer Eriksson: Anna:
• 2 Eriksson: Anna 03:15
• Marin Marais (1656 - 1728): Alcione:
• 3 Marais: Alcione: Menuet 01:14
• 4 Marais: Alcione: Prelude 02:07
• 5 Marais: Alcione: Gigue 01:21
• Esbjörn Svensson (1964 - 2008): Thoughts of a Septuagenarian/ Marais Echoes & Nordic Moods:
• 6 Svensson: Pavane: Thoughts of a Septuagenarian/ Marais Echoes & Nordic Moods 03:58
• Jennifer Eriksson: Anna: La Marieé; Menuet:
• 7 Eriksson: La Marieé; Menuet 02:32
• Traditional: Glädjens blomster (The flowers of joy):
• 8 Traditional: Glädjens blomster (The flowers of joy) 02:29
• Johan Helmich Roman (1694 - 1758): Sonate in G minor for violin & continuo:
• 9 Roman: Sonate in G minor for violin & continuo: Largo 02:45
• 10 Roman: Sonate in G minor for violin & continuo: Allegro 01:39
• 11 Roman: Sonate in G minor for violin & continuo: Intermezzo 01:09
• 12 Roman: Sonate in G minor for violin & continuo: Allegro ma non presto 01:54
• Olof Wendel (b. 1971): Löv Som Faller (A Leaf Falls):
• 13 Wendel: Löv Som Faller (A Leaf Falls) 03:43
• Marc-Antonie Charpentier (1643 - 1704): Sans Frayeur (Without Fear):
• 14 Charpentier: Sans Frayeur (Without Fear) 02:38
• Traditional: Kristallen Den Fina (The Crystal So Fine):
• 15 Traditional: Kristallen Den Fina (The Crystal So Fine) 03:07
• Total Runtime 39:23

Info for Nordic Moods & Baroque Echoes

Recorded at Atlantis Studios, Stockholm, (ABBA’s favourite studio), the album explores the collaboration’s rare instrumentation: voice/violin; baroque and modern violin, viola da gamba, cimbalom, and lute/guitar. The range of available tone colours is truly unique. This is believed to be the first Australian recording featuring the viola da gamba, lute, and cimbalom – the concert cimbalom is similar to hammer dulcimer but with damping pedals like a piano – and the first to include an album booklet in both Swedish and English.

The track list features moving arrangements of two of Sweden’s most famous folk songs – one of which was taken up as the tune for the Swedish national anthem – an orchestral suite by Marin Marais, new works by Eriksson and Wendel, Tommie Andersson’s arrangement of a Pavane by Swedish jazz greats, e.s.t., as well as a violin sonata by the Baroque era ‘Father of Swedish Music’, Johan Helmich Roman.

From the start of their long distance ‘north-south’ relationship the musicians decided to focus on three areas: baroque music, traditional songs from both Australia and Sweden, and originals by group members. This approach drew on the diverse musical skills and backgrounds of group members. As well as leading some of the finest Swedish early music ensembles, violinist Catalina Langborn, studied and plays Swedish folk music, as does Swedish/Australian lutenist, Tommie Andersson. Violinist and singer, Susie Bishop, has a long folk music history alongside her training as an opera singer. Gamba player Jenny Eriksson has explored traditional music on the acoustic viol as well as with her electric viola da gamba band, Elysian Fields. Percussionist and cimbalom virtuoso, Olof Wendel, has a diverse background that spans from orchestral music to jazz, contemporary classical music, and opera. In fact, all five members of the collaboration are composers and/or arrangers – something that is still something of a rarity in the classical music world.

Building on their decade-long commitment to performing and recording Scandinavian baroque and folk music, The Marais Project is proud to announce a new collaboration with leading Swedish artists, Duo Langborn/Wendel with a Sydney and regional NSW tour in February 2023. The Duo’s visit to Australia is sponsored by the Swedish Arts Board for International Exchange and the ensemble will perform through 5-26 February 2023 in Sydney, Berrima, Dungog, Wauchope and Tea Gardens.

Duo Langborn/Wendel consists of the unusual combination of baroque violin, played by Catalina Langborn, and percussionist Olof Wendel, who specialises in the rarely heard cimbalom – an instrument he will be playing when he visits this country. “Catalina is one of the most sought-after Baroque violinists and concertmasters in Sweden,” said The Marais Project’s Jenny Eriksson. “She regularly leads celebrated ensembles such as Drottningholms Barockensemble and Göteborg Baroque. She is also an expert on, and composes, Swedish folk music.”

Eriksson and Langborn have corresponded for some time and got to meet each other in Stockholm in July 2022 where they hatched the idea for an Australian collaboration. Percussionist, Wendel, has a similarly distinguished career, having worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony, and the Royal Opera. He also appears with a range of cutting-edge improvised music groups.

The Marais Project
Catalina Langborn, baroque violin
Olof Wendel, percussion

The Marais Project
Australian viola da gambist, Jenny Eriksson – whose grandfather was Swedish – and Swedish-born lutenist/guitarist Tommie Andersson, have been bringing Scandinavian music to Australian audiences for more than a decade. They are joined by singer/violinist, Susie Bishop, who speaks (and sings!) Swedish. The Marais Project’s 2015 popular album of Swedish classical, baroque, and folk music, Smörgåsbord, spent three months in the Australian Top 20 Classical Music Charts.

The upcoming project titled Nordic moods and baroque echoes combines Swedish folk music, works from the baroque and several original compositions/arrangements by group members.

“This will be our first visit to Australia,” said Langborn on behalf of the Duo. “We are excited to be working with Tommie, Susie, and Jenny. They have such a spirit of adventure and collaboration; we already feel welcome! We are also thrilled to be able to visit in the Australian summer – our winter – and see some of the countryside.” The Nordic moods, baroque echoes collaboration is literally a ‘one-off’ – and not to be missed!

Catalina Langborn
is the special guest of Paradiso Musicale for the concert taking place at Les Musicales de Baabdath. A very active baroque violinist, Catalina graduated with a Master Degree in baroque violin at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and she has received a number of scholarships from, amongst others, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Vadstena Academy Friend’s Scholarship as well as Irma Bartholdsson’s Fund.

Catalina freelances regularly as concertmaster, orchestral musician and chamber musician together with many prestigious Swedish baroque orchestras and ensembles, such as: Drottningholms Barockensemble, Rebaroque, Göteborg Baroque, The Theatre Orchestra of Drottningholm, Vadstena Academy Orchestra, etc. Festivals that Catalina has performed at include: Early Music Festival in Stockholm, Rhein Vokal in Bingen, Germany, Händelfestival in Berlin as well as Festival di Musica Antica del Mediterraneo and Barocco Festival Leonardo Leo in southern Italy.

Together with the baroque soprano Christina Larsson Malmberg, Catalina has founded the non-profit association Operabyrån, with which she has produced, managed and performed, as chamber musician and as soloist, an acclaimed series of opera-productions in which baroque music is combined to the commission of new music and the composition of new librettos. The main focus of Operabyrån is on reevaluating the role of almost-forgotten female composers in the baroque period. The operas have been performed in prestigious venues in Sweden, as well as in Copenhagen and at the International Art Music Festival in Berlin. Operabyrån has just started a long-time cooperation with Stockholm Concert Hall, for which several performances have been planned. The newest production of Operabyrån will focus on music by 17th century Italian nuns, and will include, among other eminent musicians from the Swedish baroque scene, also Anna Paradiso at the harpsichord and Jonas Nordberg at the lute and theorbo.

Besides her passion for classical music, Catalina has also developed a great interest in writing and performing Swedish folk music.

Olof Wendel
is one of thoose musicians that want to be free in the choise of what music he plays. Even in the beginning of his professional career when he studied (dipl. perc) at the University of Gothenburg he wanted to choose music -not after what percussion instrument but after the repertoire. And in that manner he has continued.

For about ten years he was into the classical orchestra music and therefore playing timpany. During this period he played with most of Swedens leading symphony orchestras such as the Royal Opera, GSO, NO, GO and FolkOperan

Since he started to study music, baroque music has been the centre of gravity for Olof and playing JS Bach on marimba has been an everyday thing. However -the percussion instrument that mainly is used in baroque is of course the timpany.. so… there has been a lot of baroque timpany playing, especially with Drottningholms Barock Orchestra and the upcommers Rebaroque here in Stockholm.

However -the small chamber groups or the jazz/pop/world-music band has allways been the main focus. Constellations such as Stig, Katzen Kapell, Cecilia Perssons nonett, Chiaro Scuro, Annas Combo, Kroumata, KammarensembleN and the Gothenburg Chamber Soloists.

Growing up in the super-small-town Eksjö in the south of Sweden was in a musical perspective limited. No record store, no live music (except from the church organ player), no internet (this was back in the eithies). The thing that worked in Eksjö was the local kids playing rockn´roll. And having a band in this very isolated surroundings was great. No distractions. Unlimited practise time. If you got hold of a cool LP you listend to it until it was broken. Since excperienced that period, making music with no compromises is number one priorety.

In a way you can say that Olof is trying to combine the life as a professional musician with the band experience from the past.

Booklet for Nordic Moods & Baroque Echoes