Before the Swedish string trio have even strolled on stage in this their first visit to The Queen’s Hall in 15 years, the band’s name intrigues and perhaps gives advance notice of the complexity of the sound.
Swedish word ‘Vasen’ translates as essence, a living or spirit being, or a potentially unpleasant noise. This last definition points to their wry, gently self-deprecating humour, which together with exceptional musicianship, the ancient sound of the nyckelharpa and extensive touring over the last 29 years, has brought the trio a world-wide fan base – they even have a street named after them in Bloomington, Indiana! They are worthy fillers of this prime slot on the first night of the 2018 Edinburgh ‘Tradfest’.
Consisting of Mikael Marin (composer, producer and arranger, on 5-string viola), Olov Johansson (first ever World Champion of nyckelharpa in 1990, composer and sometime collaborator with renowned Scottish harper Catriona McKay) and Roger Tallroth (12-string guitarist, composer and inventor of Tallroth-tuning), the trio tonight present.... read the rest of the article here