TRISKELE: Heikki-Rein Veromann, Janno Mäe, Jaanus Roosileht, Toivo Sõmer, Tarmo Tabas, Ergo-Hart Västrik

 

This site in Estonian

Triskele's new homepage is at
http://www.triskele.ee

TRISKELE started its activities in 1997 with the aim to perform Estonian folk music, concentrating on ancient runosongs and folk hymns. Uniting factor for the members of the group has been keen interest in early music as well as various folk music traditions. From these sources stem also Triskele’s choice of instruments and mood of arrangements. Earlier experience of the musicians of Triskele make up a wide range of styles from early polyphony to modern jazz music.


Bells of Kolga-Jaani church 0:31
The time is imminent
Christ, you give us blessing 6:26
If you let God do everything
I love you, Lord, I do
A child is born in Betlehem 3:13
Jesus, dear, I pray you 6:40
Please take, oh Jesus, take now from my hands 6:14
Blessed the one who doesn't do
My heart, why do you worry so?
Let's now forever and again

Estonian Folk Hymns from Kolga-Jaani
© 2003 Triskele


South Estonian Folk Hymns vol. 2
© 2002 Triskele

Let's now forever and again (Kolga-Jaani) 6:02
Children, rejoice and hearken &
Your children, our Lord, you feed (Urvaste)
I send my laments to you, Jesus (Halliste)
All happy is the house and home (Halliste) 4:02
The head, in blood and wrinkles (Halliste)
A just and blessed man is he (Otepää) 2:15
Almighty, do not punish me (Halliste)
Supremacy in our lives has gained
our Lamb
(Otepää) 3:58
The night is imminent (Otepää)


O how blessed are the saints in heaven (Nõo)
Father, send us your spirit (Halliste)
When we are in the worst need (Kolga-Jaani) 6:33
You see, God, here I am, foolish as I am (Räpina)
My creator and prince of life (Otepää) 7:04
My Jesus receives the sinners (Räpina) 3:39
My dear friend, look carefully, what's
growing in your heart (Halliste)

South Estonian Folk Hymns
© 2001 Triskele


Estonian Folk Hymns
© 2000 Triskele

My heart, wake up and sing (Reigi) 7:59
I thank you, God (Pärnu-Jaagupi)
Praise God, he is so gracious (Reigi) 2:34
All the angels in heaven's light (Suur-Pakri)
Christ is risen from the death (Kihnu)
How would I receive you (Kihnu) 5:59
I boast only about those bloody wounds
(Pärnu-Jaagupi) 3:34
O how blessed are the saints in heaven (folk hymn)
Wherever I go, I long for you, Jesus (Ridala) 3:35



The music of Triskele bears several meanings, thus resembling a symbolic ornament with influences from ancient fenno-ugric heritage as well as later Christian cultural tradition. Variety of sources characterizing living folk music form a harmonic structure, passages from one source to another are barely noticeable, resulting in Estonian folk music enriched by new, unusual colours.
Tarmo Tabas – vocals
Heikki-Rein Veromann – vocals, flutes
Ergo-Hart Västrik – vocals
Toivo Sõmer – oud, zithers, vocals
Jaanus Roosileht – fiddle, bowed harp, vocals
Janno Mäe – drums, vocals


 

In the Court of the....

Cross
The members of Triskele have all been in touch with Mediaeval European music by playing in the early music consort Via Sonora and by participating in cooperation projects with the most noteworthy Early Music performers in Estonia (Hortus Musicus, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, etc.) In this music one could recognize the player's deep affection towards the way of making music that characterizes Arabian tradition (and Eastern tradition in general), where the relationship between the interpreter and music is intensive and devoted, and the borderlines between the listener, the interpreter and the music are not very clear.
The variability of form and style in Triskele's music -- its frequent vagueness, ambiguity and incomprehensibility -- is vividly visible in the unpolished, open ends of the improvisations, thus reflecting the endeavours of imperfect humans to find and apprehend the mysterious backgrounds of God's creations. Triskele has always understood archaic runo song tradition and Estonian religious folk songs (the origin still unclear) as important sources of inspiration. 
Greece cross
Circle
Triskele performing in Tartu, at the court of Tampere House
In interpreting source material Triskele has not tried to be authentic but rather to create musical visions based on these texts and melodies, which try to be spiritual mediums independent of present times and political systems.

 
Religious folk song  The emergence of RELIGIOUS FOLK SONG is a phenomenon that belongs, to a large extent, to the 18th century. A distinctive chapter in it is the adaptation of Lutheran hymns which we come across mainly in Western Estonia, in the areas where Estonian Swedes lived and nearby. Similar adaptations of hymns can be found in Finland and Sweden. These songs are folk melodies sung to the texts of the Lutheran hymnal, where traces of this or that hymnal tune can be found. Only in rare cases is it possible to recognize the hymn clearly, in most cases it does not match the text, that is, the supposed model tune is not sung to the corresponding text but another text has been used. The religious folk song is a unique phenomenon in Estonian culture, this is one of the points of contact which relates us organically to European cultural traditions. And so it is perhaps one of the most accessible aspects of our culture.
 
 
Contact:   ansambel.triskele [at] gmail.com
phone: (+372) 55 671 134 or (+372) 55 590 468


Design & artwork: Toivo Sõmer & Ülle Tabas
Webmaster: andres_d [at] ut.ee and ergo [at] folklore.ee