Lodestar Trio is a unique collaboration between Scandinavian folk music stars Erik Rydvall and Olav Mjelva, and British violin virtuoso Max Baillie. Together they bring a spirit of groove and improvisation into Baroque music by combining traditional nordic string instruments— the Swedish nyckelharpa and the Norwegian hardanger fiddle— with the violin.
The trio formed in 2018 after Max wrote Erik and Olav an email after seeing one of their duo videos. They met up and played together for 3 days, and since then they have recorded and released their debut album Bach to Folk in 2022 on the Naxos label to critical acclaim. They have appeared live on BBC radio, been featured on German, Norwegian, Swedish and Irish national radio, on Classic FM, and in the last two years alone have performed at festivals across Europe including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary, and the UK.
Their repertoire includes uniquely re-imagined versions of pieces from the Bach cello suites, the Bach sonatas and partitas for solo violin, all played in Lodestar’s own trio arrangements, and other Baroque works by Merula and Couperin, alongside traditional and contemporary Nordic tunes. They have collaborated with string ensemble United Strings of Europe including music by Bartok and Greig. Later this year they will be working with Icelandic composer Viktor Arnason in Reykjavik on some new music.
Individually the three musicians of Lodestar Trio are stars in their field and have collaborated with leading artists across the globe, have played as soloists and chamber musicians in major concert halls and appeared on blockbuster film scores.
Their debut album was released on Naxos in September 2022! Listen here
You can buy the album here: Click here to go to Rydvall/Mjelva´s website
Reviews:
- “Fascinating debut album…” https://worldmusiccentral.org/2022/10/12/lodestar-trios-bach-to-folk/ – World Music Central, USA
- ☆☆☆☆ “Lodestar do much more than shine a different light on Bach’s pieces, they make them anew.” – Songlines, UK
- “The new compositions I personally find are as strong as all the old compositions…” – Moors Magazine, Netherlands
- Aired on BBC Radio 3 Essential Classics by Georgia Mann September 2022 – @ 9:12 into the show, UK
- “You can feel the happiness as a listener… Every note of the trio conveys lightness and joy…” – Folker, Germany (online link available soon)
- “The beginning of a fresh, exciting and sustainable concept…” – Era Jazzu, Poland
- “Det e’ jaevlig bra! This is So good.” – bgfm.radio, Wales
- “The album is presented with a very accurate title: it really connects Bach with Nordic folk” – JazzQuad, Russia
