Based on text/music from 11th century (Italian sacred music, English carols) to modern days (eg. Andreas Jorg, Andrew Smith), Trio Mediaeval, three Scandinavian vocalists, makes music that is highly relaxing and purifying through its unusual serenity and elevated clarity.

Up to a certain point. Beyond that point one needs to have developed a special interest in polyphony, and/or in medieval love-lyric, to fully appreciate the album’s subtle variations. The risk is that the listening experience, for those who are not fully dedicated, becomes kind of  monophonic. But, fortunately, for a good half an hour or so there’s plenty of material to enjoy the album’s benign atmosphere, and to let one’s mind calm down.

The album title is Aquilions, a metaphor for a Northern wind.

The disc makes a nice test for the loudspeaker’s tonal balance: it should not be too thick to retain music’s transparency, nor too light to avoid one-dimensionality, and to support the singers’ lower vocal register.

Trio Medieval: Anna Maria Friman: voice, hardanger fiddle, melody chimes, Linn Andrea Fuglseth: voice, portable organ, melody chimes, and Berit Opheim: voice, melody chimes