folk & flame

Timeless

Folk music connects us with the past and simultaneously sounds surprisingly contemporary. Although traditional and classical music are often seen as opposites, the simplicity of folk music—its melody, rhythm, and key—encompasses a special strength. It is precisely this simplicity that offers composers and performers great freedom to personalize traditional music and make it sound as if improvised on the spot.

Save and refresh

In the 19th century, the need grew to preserve vanishing musical traditions. Songs and dances were collected and edited into polyphonic settings for home use. While some of the original rawness was sometimes lost, a new, non-traditional sound also emerged, giving folk music a broader future.

Folk and Flame

With Folk & Flame, La Banda Bardi presents a passionate program of folk music from the British Isles, from the Middle Ages to the present. From the 13th-century "Mirie It Is While Summer Is Last" to works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Charles Villiers Stanford. Arrangements by lesser-known composers will also be performed, concluding in Scotland with "The Parting Glass." The ensemble weaves a timeless musical tapestry full of emotion and stories.