Trio Mediaeval

Andrew Smith’s compositions were quite affecting as well, and were warmly received by the audience. His Ave Maria creates poignant polytonal harmonies, set against a lovely soaring melody. Regina Caeli is more overtly chant-inspired, wending its way through an attractively spare, somewhat pensive musical terrain. The stately lyricism of Moody’s The Troparion of Kassiani ended the main portion of the program, impressively filling the hall with reverberant and spacious chords.

For an encore, the trio performed a charming arrangement of a Norwegian song. Hearing the enthusiasm and facility with which they tackled this material made me wish that they had included a whole group of such pieces on the concert. I will keep my fingers crossed that their next recording will contain some Norwegian music.

The trio is touring the US in April. Whether they are singing medieval polyphony, modern choral repertoire or Norwegian music, the Trio Mediaeval is a superlatively talented ensemble – I am glad that I had the opportunity to hear them sing some of each. Even if you’ve never previously been to a choral concert, attending a Trio Mediaeval performance will leave you spoiling for more.

			Trio Mediaeval by: Christian Carey
Trio Mediaeval is an all-female vocal ensemble, comprised of Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth and Torunn Østrem Ossum, formed in Oslo, Norway in 1997. In 2001, they released their first CD on ECM Records, Words of the Angel. Their second CD, Soir dit-elle, was released in January 2004 (also on ECM). Both of these spent several weeks in the top ten of the Billboard classical music charts. Despite their name, they are not just an early-music group. The Trio performs three distinct types of repertoire: Polyphonic medieval music from England and France, contemporary works and Norwegian medieval ballads and songs. In some ways, not being a strictly period ensemble has made them even more palatable to a wider audience. While even non-classical listeners will almost certainly enjoy hearing the group sing medieval music, many are also captivated by the wide range of repertoire that the group performs.
			In February 2004, the trio made its first tour of the US, with concerts in New York, Washington, Boston and Chicago. I attended their concert on February 12th in New York, which was held at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. The program featured material from both of their CD recordings, with special emphasis on Soir dit-elle, including the Power mass and pieces by Moody, Bryars, Smith and Harkavyy. The group began at the back of the hall, making their way up the aisles while singing plain chant – an effective and dramatic entrance. While the Orensanz Foundation is a large space, it is a bit drier than the ideal cathedral acoustic in which this music thrives. If this fazed the trio, you would never know; it was quite an inspiring experience to hear them in concert. Some pieces, although beautiful on the recordings, took on a whole new life in person. Their performance of Alma Redemptoris Mater was glorious. The trio sang the mass with lustrous tone, rhythmic verve and impeccable intonation.
Also quite striking was “De spineto Nata Rosa,” an anonymous piece of fourteenth century English polyphony from the Berkeley Castle Roll, which swirled with dovetailing lines and surprising juxtapositions of piquant dissonances, open sonorities and idiosyncratic cadences. Gavin Bryars’ Lauds were an interesting trope on these very devices of medieval music, made modern through a series of distortions and recontextualizations. Bryars accentuates certain dissonances and leaves many suspensions unresolved, lingering where Medieval polyphonists would hurry to a cadence.
Andrew Smith’s compositions were quite affecting as well, and were warmly received by the audience. His Ave Maria creates poignant polytonal harmonies, set against a lovely soaring melody. Regina Caeli is more overtly chant-inspired, wending its way through an attractively spare, somewhat pensive musical terrain. The stately lyricism of Moody’s The Troparion of Kassiani ended the main portion of the program, impressively filling the hall with reverberant and spacious chords. For an encore, the trio performed a charming arrangement of a Norwegian song. Hearing the enthusiasm and facility with which they tackled this material made me wish that they had included a whole group of such pieces on the concert. I will keep my fingers crossed that their next recording will contain some Norwegian music. The trio is touring the US in April. Whether they are singing medieval polyphony, modern choral repertoire or Norwegian music, the Trio Mediaeval is a superlatively talented ensemble – I am glad that I had the opportunity to hear them sing some of each. Even if you’ve never previously been to a choral concert, attending a Trio Mediaeval performance will leave you spoiling for more.

April 2005 4.07 New York, NY Merkin Concert Hall (8 PM) 4.08 Ann Arbor, MI St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (8 PM) 4.09 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater (8 PM) 4.10 Durham, NC Duke Chapel (5 PM) 4.12 San Antonio, TX Venue TBD (7 PM) 4.14 San Francisco, CA Herbst Theatre (8 PM) 4.15 Windsor, CA Guadalupe Church (7:30 PM) 4.17 Sun Valley, ID Big Wood Presbyterian Church (7 PM)