Bridget Marsden and Leif Ottosson – debut album

Bridget Marsden and Leif Ottosson - debut album

Bridget Marsden (violin) and Leif Ottosson (accordion), two artists who have previously been heard in Stormsteg and Massivet amongst others bands, now meet on an album in which every tune has received its own distinct imagery.

Mountain Meeting is the eagerly awaited debut album from an increasingly hot duo on the folk music scene. Atmospheric solo outings, tight tune playing and filmic soundscapes feature strongly throughout the album, in which original compositions are combined with traditional material. Guest appearances from Olof Wendel (vibraphone/marimba), Valter Kinbom (percussion) and Leo Svensson Sander (cello) lead to unexpected directions and a large dynamic range. Mountain Meeting is an album for all listeners to whom stripped down and experimental instrumental music appeals.

The duo formed in 2009 after meeting through the folk music department at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and have since met a wide audience from both large and small stages in Scandinavia and the UK. What started as a common interest in tight, traditional tune playing soon led to an exploration of arrangements full of space, which were refined under many concerts during the following years. The duo’s distinctive style took shape during a collaboration with performance storyteller Dominic Kelly. This opportunity to dive deeply into the imagery and narrative qualities of folk music led to their debut album Mountain Meeting.

Bridget Marsden is a violinist who walks her own path through a rich and varied musical landscape. An encounter with Swedish folk music made such a strong impression on her that she moved from England to Sweden, to study folk music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where she graduated with a masters degree in 2010. Today she works as a freelance musician and teacher. Bridget is specialised in the Bingsjö fiddle tradition, and has been awarded the prestigious Päkkos Gustaf Scholarship. She recently released her debut solo album When I Listen To Bingsjö (June 2015, Dimma Sweden). Bridget can also be heard in the critically acclaimed group Stormsteg, who won Best Newcomer at the Swedish Folk & World Music Awards 2012.

Leif Ottosson is a young accordionist on the Swedish folk music scene who is said to be the first to have transferred the traditional fiddler’s style of playing to his instrument. He challenges the conventional way of using the accordion and is constantly searching for new expressions and sounds from his instrument. His great artistic breadth has earned him several well-renowned awards including the Hagström Scholarship and the Andrew Walter Scholarship for Accordionists. Leif has a masters degree in Swedish folk music from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and often distinguishes himself as a composer and arranger in the many groups that he plays with, not least in his band Massivet.

”A rich, full-bodied and advanced album that will give the focused listener time of real enjoyment.” – Lars Lind, Lira Musikmagasin

Artists’ website: www.bridgetandlief.com