La Nef: Folkdance, Ancient Style

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Returning from a master class in Austria, Andrew Wells-Oberegger proposed the idea of a program of balfolk—Aufregend! Exaltant!—to Claire Gignac, artistic director of La Nef. It is inspired by traditional dances and music from Austria, France and Sweden that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Wells-Oberegger’s Déjouer le glas was nominated for concert of the year at the 29th Opus Awards Gala. For his La Nef show, he draws on the form and rhythm of period tunes, adding in contemporary accents to render them timeless.

From his Austrian travels, Wells-Oberegger brought back a bock—or Bohemian bagpipe—and it is around this instrument that he developed the show’s concept. Above all, forget preconceptions you might have about Bavarian music. This is bordun-based music originating in the Balkans, as does the single-bordun Dudelsack, like a shepherd’s bagpipe, ancestor of the Swedish säckipa and the Scottish border pipe. Wells-Oberegger will also play these, as well as some plucked strings. He will be joined by Pierre-Alexandre Saint-Yves on chalumeaux and bedondaine. The two musicians also provide the vocals—in German, French, and Occitan.

Fiddler Alex Kehler will rub a contemporary hurdy-gurdy, whose range is wider than its ancestor’s, allowing for chromatic scales. The uninitiated will discover the keyboard hurdy-gurdy or nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish instrument with 16 strings that Kehler perfected in Sweden, whose sympathetic strings (those that are not bowed) resonate with the melodic strings, enriching the sound. The versatile percussionist Olivier Bussières, an expert in Mediterranean tambourines—which are played using fingers, slaps, and fists—will complete the lineup, with Grégoire Jeay on flutes and Émilou Johnson on double bass.

Wells-Oberegger compares his balfolk program to social dance evenings held by traditional music and dance lovers. The atmosphere is friendly, and the choreography is easy. Participants move in pairs or groups, stomping on the ground, and the energy they generate together resembles a state of collective trance. Initially, balfolk took place during festivities and weddings in European villages. It is this historical legacy—this common bond among an audience that came to have fun—that truly fascinated Wells-Oberegger.

Eight performers from the Balfolk Montréal collective will perform graceful traditional European dances such as mazurka, polska, and gavotte. Experience a musical journey and the vibrant atmosphere of balfolk.