On June 4th, InFidelis and Rydvall/Mjelva will play a concert during the closing of The Logic of the Local. Contemporary Norwegian and Polish Design exhibition at the Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum in Trondheim.
InFidelis in an instrumental duet, comprised of Helena Matuszewska and Marta Sołek. They play two unique Polish folk instruments, which we reconstructed at the end of the 20th century: the suka biłgorajska and the Płock fiddle. InFidelis is inspired by Polish folk music, but is not confined to it – one can hear echoes of medieval and minimal music. The musicians themselves say they are loyal to tradition but not loyal to routine. Their folk melodies are reworked, looped and mixed with improvisation, which can be heard on their 2015 album Projekt Kolberg.
Rydvall / Mjelva – Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Erik Rydvall – is one of the best Scandinavian traditional and folk music duos. The combination of the Norwegian hardingfels violin and the Swedish nyckelharpa key fiddle is a fine example of Scandinavian folk music. The duet performs both traditional melodies from Norway and Sweden, as well as their own compositions inspired by Scandinavian folklore. So far, they have released two very well received albums Isabella and Vardroppar.
The collaborative project by InFidelis and Rydvall / Mjelva seeks to return to the roots of Scandinavian dance, while on the other, to look for its echoes in traditional Polish melodies. The newly founded quartet attempts to achieve this by using traditional string instruments from the musicians' lands and combine the folk music of Poland, Norway and Sweden.
Their concert will further contribute to the search for the common roots of Polish and Scandinavian traditional music and show how they are interpreted by young musicians from different worlds. Next year, an album with their musical explorations will be released.
The concert is co-organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, under its flagship brand Culture.pl.
Sources: promotional materials, compiled by MKD, translated by NR, 18 May 2017