Familiar and unfamiliar Nyhus music in a fresh presentation - lively, exciting and beautiful folk music!
Three x Nyhus is a trio consisting of Sven Nyhus and his daughters Åshild and Ingfrid Breie Nyhus. This is their first recording together. In recent years the Nyhuses have played together more and more frequently, taking their material from the Røros region's folk music traditions, and from Sven's own compositions. In addition to the traditional zither the piano enters the scene as an accompanying instrument - a new, fresh element which expands the texture without compromising tradition. This is the basis for the recording in which half of the tracks are traditionally performed, and the other half are presented in new and exciting arrangements.
The recording also gives a very good idea of what each of the three performers represents individually: Sven is the conveyer of tradition and composer of instrumental folk music, Åshild carries the tradition one generation forward and is a classically trained violinist and viola player, and Ingfrid is a classically trained pianist and arranger, and has taken up the traditional zither after her grandmother.
Sven Nyhus encouraged his daughters to play with him from an early age - one on the violin and the other on the piano. It was mostly Sven's own compositions they played - music the girls had heard their father play since the day they were born. Åshild and Ingfrid have both studied classical music, but with a strong awareness of the folk music tradition. More recently their playing together has intensified, and with playful inventiveness they arrange the music for their particular trio. Now they have recorded a CD offering familiar and unfamiliar Nyhus music in a fresh presentation - lively, exciting and beautiful folk music!
Sven Nyhus was born in Glåmos, central Norway, in 1932, and is one of Norway's leading folk music performers. He was worked as an orchestra musician, made programmes for radio and done research into folk music; he is also known for his many folk music compositions. Most recently he has held the post of professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Åshild Breie Nyhus, born in 1975, has played both first violin and viola with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Classical music and folk music have always gone hand in hand; she belongs to a fourth generation of folk musicians performing the traditional music of Røros, after her father. Åshild also plays the Hardanger fiddle and the nyckelharpe (a bowed string instrument with keys) - thus interchanging effortlessly between four different string instruments for folk music.
Ingfrid Breie Nyhus, born 1978, studied the piano in Norway, Finland and Germany. She has won several grants and awards as a classical pianist; she has given recitals all over Europe and performed solo with many of Norway's leading orchestras. Folk music has always been an important part of her musical background, and this is her first CD recording as a folk music performer - featuring her own piano arrangements. Ingfrid also plays the zither, thus continuing on the tradition of her grandmother.
We congratulate Ingfrid Breie Nyhus with being awarded the Norwegian Soloist Prize 2005! The prize was awarded for the first time this year, during the opening ceremony of the Bergen International Festival. The jury members were selected from the Bergen International Festival, the Norwegian Academy of Music, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and Norwegian Broadcasting.
Tre Nyhus