Swedish traditional folk music has never sounded more exciting!… expert folk musician duo Erika & Cecilia (Cecilia Österholm and Erika Lindgren Liljenstolpe) offers their trademark first-rate performance and musical emotion with rare telepathic interplay in tow. The strong melodic sounds of Cecilia’s nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) – an instrument unique to the mid-region of Sweden – in combination with the close counterpoint of Erika’s swinging folk fiddle makes for a riveting, groovy and beautiful soundscape, allowing these folk music gems to sparkle (Do Music records).

Erika Lindgren Liljenstolpe, fiddle, and Cecilia Österholm, nyckelharpa, became a duo in 2002. They have their roots in the folk music tradition of  Uppland. Together, they have given concerts and toured frequently in Sweden and abroad, and have released five albums, “Pärlor” 2004, ”Örhängen” 2007 (www.tongang.se), ”Polska till Vendelsjön” 2015 (Do Music records), Allegro Violento 2019 (Gammalthea) and most recently an album with their own music set to the poet Edith Södergran’s poems, Någonstans i rymden (together with guitarist Mats Bergström) (WeLoveMusic 2023), which have all received very good reviews. They have played in various contexts: folk music festivals in Europe and in the US, radio and TV performances, in more intimate settings such as in churches and clubs. The duo has also collaborated with musicians from other genres such as with Benny Andersson from Abba and opera singer Malena Ernman. Every now and then they give workshops in Swedish folk Music.

 

Concerts given:

  • Villa san Michele, Capri 2012.
  • The Polar Prize banquet, Stockholm 2010.
  • Folk & Tanz im Rudolstadt, Germany (the biggest folk and world music festival in Europe) 2007.
  • The American Folk Alliance conference, Memphis, USA 2007.
  • Tour for Concerts Sweden 2007.
  • Bidasoa Folk, Spain 2006.
  • Radio Music Hall concerts in Cologne for WDR3, 2005, 2006.
  • The inauguration of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the dialogue between cultures,  Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt, 2005.
  • Concerts in Cairo and Alexandria with the Italian band Novalia 2005.
  • Tours in France and gigs at the festivals in Villarceaux and Soucourt 2003, and in Ris-Orangis 2005.
  • ”Il posto delle fragole” in Rome 2002.
  • TV and radio performances in Sweden, Germany,  Spain and France.

CD-Reviews:

Allegro Violento:
”A fantastic record. Rarely do you hear Swedish fiddler music with such a combination of charge, virtuosity, dynamism and passion” (Sydsvenskan 18/12-19)

”The fiddle duo Erika Cecilia belongs to the current that renews by seeking its way back in time, towards baroque and renaissance. Always powerful, with a good attack (…) on the new ”Allegro violento”, the North Uppland idiom is seamlessly intertwined with an archaic expression. Like a summer meadow and an echoing whitewashed church room in one” (DN 15/12 2019)

”After almost a couple of decades as a duo, Erika Lindgren Liljenstolpe on violin and Cecilia Österholm have developed into one of Swedish folk music’s foremost acts” (LIRA nr 1, 2020)

Polska till Vendelsjön:

”Their playing is rich in qualities and moods and seems to transcend local dialects, while at the same time it can be experienced as suggestively ancient with echoes of another time, at a crossroads between older art music and folk tradition” (UNT).

”On pourra y percevoir une forme de spiritualité, qui affleure dans une interaction émouvante faite de joie et de mélancolie, que le couple violon/nyckelharpa sert et restitue si bien. Magique, tout simplement!” (TRAD MAG  no 166, mar-avr 2016, Alain Borman (http://www.tradmag.fr/))

Örhängen:
”Two virtuose young musicians who create their own, unique sound and musical landscape, based on traditional music. This is Big music!”
(UNT 30/3-07 (newspaper))

”Erika and Cecilia plays with a rythmical and melodical delicacy that is rare today. The voice of the violin and the nyckelharpa are so intricate interplayed that they almost sound like one body. Their music blends dynamic modernity with an almost archaic sound. They make equally strong impression as singers as their voices twirls around each other in the old Swedish folk songs. (UNT 22/9-04

Pärlor:
”Wow. Only moments after opening the astoundingly lime-green and violet cover to this CD, it moved right to the top of my personal hit-parade. This is exactly what I look for in a recording—lively playing, tight harmonies, and a real feeling that the musicians are having a great time. (reviewed by Sheila Morris, ANA)

”Young shooting stars! The album contains a mix of dazzling beautiful songs, full of
seriousiness and joy at the same time.”  (Lira no 1 2005 (Music magazine))

”It was a long time ago since I heard a folk music album that made me feel so much happiness and enthusiasm as this one. What a lovely play! How wonderful, wonderful musicians! … ”Pärlor” is one of best folk music CD’s of 2004. Fiddling as it’s best.”
(RFoD no 1-2, 2005 (Magasine for folkmusik and dance))

TRAD magazine-Bravos!!!
“Immergees dans un milieu de facon très proffessionelle, elles affiches pourtant spontanéité et complicité dans leur prestations, à deux doights de pouffrer de rire au moindre détour d’une de leur chansons. Il y a là du talent, de la simplicité, du charme. Si Oden est un type bien, il fera le nécessaire afin qu’elles conservent tout cela longtemps”.
(TRAD magazine, musique traditionelles no 98- 2004)