This concert will be streamed on Australian Digital Concert Hall

Everything Nordic is the rage at the moment: novels, films, moody Netflix series. Now… music!

Building on their decade-long commitment to performing and recording Scandinavian baroque and folk music, The Marais Project is proud to announce a new collaboration with leading Swedish artists, Duo Langborn/Wendel with a Sydney and regional NSW tour in February 2023.

The Duo’s visit to Australia is sponsored by the Swedish Arts Board for International Exchange and the ensemble will perform through 5-26 February 2023 in Sydney, Berrima, Dungog, Wauchope and Tea Gardens.

Duo Langborn/Wendel consists of the unusual combination of baroque violin, played by Catalina Langborn, and percussionist Olof Wendel, who specialises in the rarely heard cimbalom – an instrument he will be playing when he visits this country.

“Catalina is one of the most sought-after Baroque violinists and concertmasters in Sweden,” said The Marais Project’s Jenny Eriksson. “She regularly leads celebrated ensembles such as Drottningholms Barockensemble and Göteborg Baroque. She is also an expert on, and composes, Swedish folk music.”

Eriksson and Langborn have corresponded for some time and got to meet each other in Stockholm in July 2022 where they hatched the idea for an Australian collaboration. Percussionist, Wendel, has a similarly distinguished career, having worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony, and the Royal Opera. He also appears with a range of cutting-edge improvised music groups.

Australian viola da gambist, Jenny Eriksson – whose grandfather was Swedish – and Swedish-born lutenist/guitarist Tommie Andersson, have been bringing Scandinavian music to Australian audiences for more than a decade. They are joined by singer/violinist, Susie Bishop, who speaks (and sings!) Swedish. The Marais Project’s 2015 popular album of Swedish classical, baroque, and folk music, Smörgåsbord, spent three months in the Australian Top 20 Classical Music Charts.

The upcoming project titled Nordic moods and baroque echoes combines Swedish folk music, works from the baroque and several original compositions/arrangements by group members.

“This will be our first visit to Australia,” said Langborn on behalf of the Duo. “We are excited to be working with Tommie, Susie, and Jenny. They have such a spirit of adventure and collaboration; we already feel welcome! We are also thrilled to be able to visit in the Australian summer – our winter – and see some of the countryside.”

The Nordic moods, baroque echoes collaboration is literally a ‘one-off’ – and not to be missed!

ARTISTS
Catalina Langborn – violin
Olof Wendel – cimbalom
Susie Bishop – voice, violin
Tommie Anderson – theorbo, guitar
Jenny Eriksson – viola da gamba