1. Musette from English Suite no 3 BWV 808 Johann Sebastian Bach

This lovely, lilting tune is from one of Bach’s songbooks that he crafted for his second wife, Anna Magdalena. It has a hurdy-gurdy style drone that runs underneath a lovely folk melody.

1. Ciaccona Tarquinio Merula

Max first heard this effervescent baroque piece when he was in Senegal. It was a recording by the Italian group II Giardino Armonico, and he immediately fell in love with its motion, virtuosity and life-affirming energy! Max started to explore different versions of this piece, one being with the Gambian kora player Sura Susso, and thought it would work well with Hardanger fiddle and nyckelharpa. In this Lodestar Trio version, the Hardanger fiddle and violin share the intricate and virtuosic melodic parts, and a middle section with improvisation and riffs has been added before returning to the original ending.

1. Allegro Assai from the C major Violin Sonata BWV 1005 Johann Sebastian Bach

This is one of the more folky movements for solo violin, the last movement from the great C major solo sonata. This version features Erik playing the original bubbling line on the nyckelharpa and Olav and Max adding counter melodies and counterpoint, along with some harmony parts. To find out what worked they played it over and over, really getting in the groove and trying out different versions till they found this one.

1. Gavotte II from 6th Cello Suite BWV 1012 Johann Sebastian Bach

This is one of several movements of the 6th Bach Suite that Lodestar Trio play on this album. In the middle of this Gavotte there is a beautiful folk melody, over a drone, so lyrical and sweet – maybe Bach had folk instruments in mind when he wrote it…

1. Hjaltaren Olav Luksengård Mjelva

This evocative piece was Max’s introduction to Olav and Erik; Max saw them playing it on Youtube and was blown away. This mystical tune, composed by Olav, makes a beautiful contrast to some of the other songs on the repertoire.

“Hjaltaren is a tribute to Shetland. Shetland used to belong to Norway until 1472. Back in those days, it was called Hjaltland. I have a lot of Shetland friends and play there with one of my other bands, so the island is close to my heart, plus Hjaltland is a cool name.” – Olav

1. Sarabande in D from 6th Cello Suite BWV 1012 Johann Sebastian Bach

This piece was also originally for solo cello piccolo, the 6-string relative of the violoncello. The Sarabande movements in the Bach Suites, and also the solo Partitas for violin, are often a spiritual centre, an expressive meditation between more upbeat movements. This one is no exception: it’s got so much grace and poise. It’s hard to play on one instrument, but much easier on three! They switch the melodies for the repeated sections to offer a new sound, each instrument taking the melody in turn.

1. Loure from ‘Alceste’ Orchestral Suite Jean-Baptiste Lully

This tune is from an orchestral suite by French baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. Max choreographed the whole suite into a Brazilian capoeira ballet about ten years ago with the Aurora Orchestra.

“This tune always struck me for its celebratory joy! We wanted to include a few more pieces that weren’t by Bach, so as to get a nice balance, and I thought this one would be perfect in a version for nyckelharpa and Hardanger fiddle and viola.” – Max

1. & 9. Traditional Norwegian Minuet I & II Traditional

These minuets originate from Norway during the Baroque era and were found in a book by Erik J. Haugen from Røros, Norway in 1781. Lodestar Trio play from some old facsimile scripts which just have the tunes, while adding their own harmony and voicing.

“It’s interesting to hear what was being composed elsewhere in Europe during the Baroque era. Each one is like a little story.” – Max

1. Rolling to Røros Max Baillie

Max wrote this tune on the way to record the album last August.

“Erik and Olav each had an original tune in the setlist and I didn’t want to be left out! It is inspired by my Scottish roots; I took manuscript paper with me on my way to Røros and wrote it on the plane, trying to capture the motion of travel and the simple excitement of going to meet the other band members for the first time since the start of the pandemic, which was almost two years before.” – Max

1. Air from Orchestral Suite no 3 BWV 1068 Johann Sebastian Bach

This is one of the most-loved tunes by Bach. Although his music is beautifully melodic, he’s not famous for his melodies in the same way that, for example, Beethoven was. But this tune has an incredible melody that just floats over the walking baseline… pure magic! Lodestar Trio loves the freedom to ornament and improvise around the written melodies, like players would have done in Baroque times. Erik and Max swap melodies and basslines throughout, like a dialogue. You can hear the complimentary tone of the two instruments, each one distinct and bringing a different quality to the music, while Olav plays the middle line.

1. Bourée from E major Violin Partita BWV 1006 Johann Sebastian Bach

This is an earthy movement from the E major solo partita for violin. Max, Eric and Olav have added an intro and outro and play it in a jazzy swing style, with improv countermelodies. They like to make this one ‘groove and bubble’ so play one version of the tune in unison, like a fiddle band playing a folk tune.

1. Sarabande in C from 5th Cello Suite BWV 1011 Johann Sebastian Bach

This weird and evocative piece is from the dark and foreboding C minor Suite by Bach. It’s totally unique alongside the other Sarabandes by Bach, and seems to come almost from another world. It’s so contemporary and angular, yet lyrical at the same time. Lodestar Trio wanted it to stand out from the other pieces by alternating solo and unison, and as a point of mysticism from which the album could re-emerge…

1. Les Barricades Mystérieuses François Couperin

This is originally a harpsichord piece. Max played the Thomas Adès arrangement for strings and wind and it inspired him to set it for the trio. The parts all intertwine here with Olav featuring on Hardanger fiddle in accompaniment with Max and Erik.

1. Prelude from 6th Cello Suite BWV 1012 Johann Sebastian Bach

This is the opening movement of Bach’s 6th Suite. It was one of the first pieces Lodestar Trio tried together when they first met, and it really clicked! It seems to bring out the folky, forward rolling groove and the ‘fiddle band’ sound, adding harmony but also lots of unison playing.

Bach’s great uncle was a miller from Hungary and settled in what became Lower Saxony. He used to play the cithrinchen (a lute-like instrument, played with a plectrum) while the mill was grinding his flour. “A pretty noise the pair of them must have made! However, it taught him to keep time, and that is apparently how music first came into our family.” This quote is from the book published by the Bach family (first edition edited by Johann Sebastian himself) about the family.

“I find it amazing because it’s not what you might expect the origins of music in the Bach family to be… And it highlights the importance of groove and rhythm in Bach’s music, which is one thing Lodestar Trio is really into… the idea of Baroque music as groove-based music.” – Max

1. Jubileumspolska Erik Rydvall

A true celebration to uplift anyone’s spirits.

“I wrote this tune when I was “Artist in Residence” at the folkBALTICA festival in Flensburg 2019. The festival was celebrating their 15-year anniversary so I wrote an uplifting and joyful anniversary polska (Jubileumspolska) for the event.” – Erik

1. Deliverance Olav Luksengård Mjelva

This particular piece by Olav wasn’t originally planned to be on the album, but it features here as a fitting conclusion as Lodestar Trio have often played it at the end of their sessions.

“Deliverance is a tune I wrote after spending a couple of weeks playing schools in the north of Norway during the winter. It was dark the whole tour until the final day, when the sun finally returned. Deliverance.” – Olav