Triakel

Not many ensembles trace their origins to a New Year's pledge, yet Sweden's Triakel has always favored unconventional paths. After a 1994 party, harmonium player Janne Strömstedt and Hoven Droven fiddler Kjell-Erik Eriksson committed to performing together, soon inviting Garmarna vocalist Emma Härdelin to complete the lineup. Eriksson chose the group's name, Triakel, after the dark, sweet black licorice whose contrasting qualities mirrored the music's somber tone and Härdelin's luminous delivery. What began as a casual side project soon expanded, carrying the trio across Nordic venues and onward to international stages. Their debut recording, the self-titled Triakel, finally appeared in 1998. A subsequent single, "Innan Gryningen," captured with Benny Andersson of ABBA, proved so effective that it was incorporated into the 2001 album Wintersongs. The ensemble's strength rests in its striking contrast between stark traditional ballads and the interplay of harmonium, Härdelin's evocative vocals, and the fiddle's pure, almost angelic lines. Working with minimal resources, the three musicians generate striking emotional depth. Much of their repertoire stems from Sweden's Jämtland region, though they have since incorporated material from elsewhere in the country. Triakel remains active whenever Garmarna and Hoven Droven pause, and Strömstedt contributed to the latter's More Happy Moments... collection.