Solos for hurdy gurdy: strings, wheel, and fingers

Stevie Wishart

"The fiery improviser and medieval specialist Stevie Wishart and her hurdy-gurdy surfaces in diverse contexts, including medieval revivalists Sinfonye and jump-cut dad Improv of Machine for Making Sense, 'True Grit' " The Wire, London

Stevie Wishart is a composer steeped in the traditions of early music and improvisation. The hurdy-gurdy is one of our oldest musical instruments, and specifically of European invention. Its sound is utterly unique: both timeless & musically undefinable. Its construction and playing techniques lead the composer into an idiosyncratic musical journey from her medieval roots to the present as she performs her "Solos for hurdy gurdy: strings, wheel, and fingers" in a concert of mesmerizing and searching beauty.

• “ … sheer quality and inventiveness … aligns them with their true historical context [and] more than virtuoso showpieces … it says much to the power of Wishart’s playing that she keeps the music constantly interesting and persuasive. … superbly convincing.” Gramophone
• “On the medieval superhighway. Here is something strange and new. We could be looking at a prototype for the concert of the future.” The Times

see also :

Breuckenmusik, Koln, June 2009