The crystalline voices of Trio Mediæval have captivated audiences since the group was founded by Linn Andrea Fuglseth in Oslo in 1997. The Grammy-nominated trio’s core repertoire features sacred monophonic and polyphonic medieval music from England, Italy and France; contemporary works written for the ensemble; and traditional Norwegian, Swedish and Icelandic ballads and songs. The group’s fruitful relationship with the legendary ECM Records, collaborative spirit, and busy touring schedule has earned them worldwide renown. A typical Trio Mediæval programme combines their many varied strands of musical exploration: historically informed performance of medieval sacred music, folk music (adapted and arranged by members of the group); contemporary Nordic jazz; specially commissioned works; improvisation with or without instruments. The trio has collaborated with a multitude of contemporary composers including Helena Tulve, Tõnu Kõrvits, Anders Jormin, Tord Gustavsen, Mats Eilertsen, Trygve Seim, Anna Clyne, Gavin Bryars, Ivan Moody, Sungji Hong and Andrew Smith, among many others. A 2006 collaboration with the Ensemble Musikfabrik in Cologne featured the work Shelter by Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon and David Lang of the New York-based Bang on a Can composers’ collective. This collaboration led to many more projects including Julia Wolfe’s “Steel Hammer” (2009) composed for the trio and Bang on a Can All-Stars. The piece has been performed in the US and Europe (in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Barbican Centre/LSO, Concertgebouw Brugge, Elbphilharmonie, Amare Den-Haag, Uppsala Konsert & Kongress). The Bang on a Can collaboration also resulted in the full orchestral piece “Reason to believe” by David Lang, that Trio Mediæval and The Norwegian Radio Orchestra premiered in Oslo in October 2011. David Lang’s piece “just (after song of songs)” was composed for the trio and Garth Knox trio in 2014 and was featured in Paolo Sorrentino’s movie “Youth”.
