SCHLÃœSSELBUND

Schlüsselbund means a bunch of keys. In this case, the keys belong to a nyckelharpa, a Swedish instrument in the fiddle family. It was once a popular folk instrument in Germany as well, but its tradition was revived in Uppland, Sweden.
Schlüsselbund is a trio of musicians from the town of Neustrelitz in North-East Germany. They evolved out of the spontaneous, improvisational jams of two brothers, Gunther (nyckelharpa) and Dietmar (harp) Frick.

The key to their music is improvisation, using this metaphorical bunch of keys to open many doors. Their music reveals a diversity of folk traditions, jazz and European classical music. Locks were made to be opened. Schüsselbund entered the German Folk Newcomers´ Contest and made it through to the finals at Rudolstadt.
The judges were impressed by their performance: The trio demonstrates how to create highly skilled yet entertaining contemporary music on exotic instruments like the nyckelharpa. The chosen track Thea is a good example of their musical approach.

Thea 3:14
(Gunther Frick)
Taken from the sampler CD
Deutscher Folkförderpreis 1997
(Heideck HD972)