Albums 
Björnsdotter • Reid The Swedish term for two fiddles played an octave apart is 'rough and shiny'. The high, shiny melody gets depth and colour from the low, rough octave. For at least 100 years Swedish fiddlers have used this arrangement technique to effectively combine the forces of two fiddles. To us, 'rough and shiny' has yet another meaning. Traditional music functions mostly as dance music and needs to be rhythmic and powerful, rather than pretty. At the same time, fiddlers love to decorate and there is plenty of room for elegance and beauty. It is the shine – the intricate ornaments and the playful counter-melodies – that tickles the heart and inspires the imagination. It is the roughness – the stamping of feet and the bite of the bow – that makes it impossible to sit still. The geographical background to this collection is as broad as our musical journeys and inspirations. The recurring theme is a music that is as
rough as it is shiny.
Reviews "No shortage of great fiddlers in Sweden, but these two seem to be rising young talents." "It’s full of contrasts, yet this is a disc of wholly gimmick-free music for two fiddles in the Swedish tradition.
Rough and Shiny traditionally describes fiddles playing an octave apart… It might also refer to a solidly grounded
traditional music being played with immense artistry by these two young traditional music graduates… If you only ever buy one CD of
Swedish two-fiddle music, I think this would be a good choice." |