Founded in Oslo in 1997, trio mediaeval's repertoire is polyphonic medieval music from England and France, contemporary works and Norwegian medieval ballads and songs. Their first CD, 'Words of the Angel,' was released in 2001 and immediately went to the Billboard Top 10 Bestsellers list. 'Soir, dit-elle' was released in 2004 and remained on the top-10 list for weeks. Linn, Torunn and Anna, trio mediaeval, sing music spanning some 500 years, but to them it is part of a timeless present. 'Soir' has a sacred work by Leonel Power (1370-1445), 'Missa 'Alma redemptoris mater;' and 5 contemporary works, all composed for the group: Ivan Moody's 'The Troparion of Kassiani,' Gavin Bryars' 'Laude novella-Ave regina gloriosa' and 'Ave donna santissima-Venite a laudare,' Andrew Smith's 'Ave Maria-Regina caeli,' and Oleh Harkavyy's 'Kyrie.' The perfect voices rise and blend in the atmosphere, carrying us up to another realm, a place of beauty, peace and meditation.

Anna, Linn and Torunn, the 3 beautiful women who are Oslo, Norway's brilliant, ethereal Trio Mediaeval, bring us their second CD. The group's chosen repertoire of polyphonic medieval music from England and France, and contemporary works is represented here by 7 haunting polyphonic pieces from 12th and 13th century England (favorites being 2 odes to the Virgin Mary, 'Flos regalis virginalis' and 'O Maria, stella maris;' the group-arranged 'Dou way Robyn/Sancta Mater,' and 3-voice conductus 'Veni creator spiritus' and 'Beata viscera;' and 2-voice conductus 'Dum sigillum.' In addition there are the 5 movements of a contemporary work by Korean composer Sungji Hong, 'Missa Lumen de Lumine,' dedicated to Trio Mediaeval and written for 3 voices. The ringing tones and soaring harmonies take us to a sublime soundscape of wonder and meditation.

Listen to O Maria, stella maris, conductus in RealAudio.

The Norwegian women's ensemble Trio Mediaeval specializes in early music, but also sings new music, and in this album it branches out to arrangements of folk songs. Folk musician Tone Krohn and group member Linn Andrea Fuglseth made the arrangements, which are magical and lovely. Given the constantly evolving conventions of the folk repertoire, the trio and arrangers are under no constraints to discover and follow an authentic performance practice for the songs, so the arrangements are stylistically and idiomatically varied. They retain the simplicity of a folk song, but the harmonies frequently push the folk style toward a heightened expressivity through the judicious (and highly effective) use of dissonance. One of the most striking characteristics of the arrangements is the textural variety they achieve -- it's frequently hard to believe that only three voices are able to create such a rich contrapuntal web. The group sings with great purity and excellent blend, so the tart harmonies really ring, and their rhythmic incisiveness keeps the music lilting. Birger Mistereggen accompanies them on various percussion instruments, drums, and jew's harp. His contributions are discreet, but add immeasurably to the color and atmospheric variety of the music. ECM's sound is characteristically immaculate, with good resonance. The beautifully performed and produced disc should appeal equally to lovers of folk music, women's voices, and contemporary music for small vocal ensembles. 'Singing folk songs of its native Norway, the classical vocal ensemble tenderly melds the raw beauty of tradition with the pristine precision of classical technique. The harmonies are both earthy and ethereal, full of chill Scandinavian darkness and the huddling warmth of a shared song.' - Boston Globe

Listen to Dance, Do Not Cry in RealAudio.