Aer / Various - Aer [CD]

The Trio Peltomaa Fraanje Perkola combines the sounds of the human voice, piano and viola da gamba with electronic effects and medieval harp. The players have diverse backgrounds in early music, jazz, Finnish folk music and contemporary music, although it was medieval music that was the inspiration for their highly personal and recognizable sound. The group continues to explore the chants of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Pérotin (1160-1230) and 14th-century pilgrimage songs. Echoes from monasteries, cathedrals and pilgrimage sites are combined with delicate improvisations and original compositions; they create links between the eras and centuries as they invite the listener on a journey towards peace and tranquility. The trio is fascinated by how time is perceived and how these beautiful medieval melodies and texts speak to us now, by the idea of now - the moment they were written down in the medieval manuscripts - and how the power of now shapes their improvisations and compositions hundreds of years later.