Ambäck

In Canton Uri – in the little town of Erstfeld, to be more precise – well, in Wilen, to be even more precise; actually in Hinterwilen, or at least to the south-west of it, there is a woodchopping site called “Ambäck”. This is the name given to a cross-grained log that’s used as a base for hewing, splitting and chopping wood. The result of this process, however, isn’t wood chippings, but two smaller, intact pieces that are ideal as firewood. This image also pretty much describes what the three musicians of the Ambäck Trio do. They take traditional folk music, inspect it, chop it up, remake it and add new elements. The result is a new style that’s based on tradition, but that ignites a musical fire.

The Trio’s starting point is thus their deep connection to the traditional music of Central Switzerland. The remote Muota Valley is one of the most fascinating musical regions of Switzerland. Here, in around 1900, a bunch of inventive instrumentalists developed a sound world all of their own that included a rustic, cumbersome type of dance music played by violin, the schwyzerörgeli accordion and double bass. This is the music played by the Ambäck Trio, which features an outstanding line-up comprising Markus Flückiger, Andreas Gabriel and Pirmin Huber. It is precisely their secure mastery of the traditional repertoire that enables them to expand it with great aplomb, losing themselves in improvisations that are as artful as they are intricate, and moving with ease between traditional and contemporary folk music. They play in a realm where the traditional and the new cannot be separated any more. This highly focussed music is a true discovery, above and beyond all conventions.

These three musicians helped to initiate the hype around new Swiss folk music in recent years, and now they’re giving a programme entitled “Rooms” at the Andermatt Concert Hall. They meander with unmistakable ease through a musical space, exploring it, only to pass abruptly through a door into the next room. What world might well be hidden there? Despite all the uncertainty involved, one thing remains clear: You’ll rarely hear Swiss folk music that is so refreshing and inspiring.