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Rita Leydon and Peter Puma Hedlund
Rita Leydon and Peter Puma Hedlund are two inveterate "creatives" who chanced to meet a number of years ago and decided to join forces in order to achieve something larger than either one could alone. The passion they share is the Swedish nyckelharpa--a complex and fascinating stringed instrument with roots reaching almost into the Age of the Vikings. Neglected and just about forgotten by the 1940s and 50s, interest in the modern chromatic nyckelharpa is blossoming as never before in Sweden and elsewhere, especially the USA and Japan.
Peter is considered Sweden’s leading traditional player of the nyckelharpa and is its foremost exponent in the world today. A performer and composer as well as a sought after instructor, he is one of the main forces behind the current awareness and revival of the instrument and it’s music. In 1975, while still in his teens, he earned the coveted designation "riksspelman" (fiddler of the realm).
He is also a two time winner, 1992 and 2000, of the Nyckelharpa World Championship competition. Rita, who also plays nyckelharpa, is a visual artist, graphic designer and filmmaker. Rita is the behind-the-scenes dynamo while Peter handles the limelight and all things involving the public. Both are Swedish, although Rita lives in the United States while Peter makes his home in the sparsely populated northern climes of Hälsingland.
Together they have dreamed up, produced and released a variety of related projects. These include:
1. Three CD titles to date. The focus is Swedish nyckelharpa, traditional and evolving roots music.
2. A three volume interactive DVD "workshop" enabling folks from all corners of the globe to learn how to play nyckelharpa. These volumes utilize the DVD medium to the max: two languages (Swedish and English), dual video angles, PDF files, bonus tracks, precision navigation among lessons and sections of tunes.
"This was a true pioneering effort into the wild and unchartered land of DVD scripting as there was virtually no information available when we embarked on the project ... we knew where we wanted to go and what the goal was and simply struggled to overcome obstacles until we got there, beat up and exhausted. The fact that all three volumes are complete is nothing short of a miracle."
3. Bygg en Nyckelharpa (Build a ...). This is a documentary film chronicling the building of a nyckelharpa. Sweden's master builder Sören Åhker consented to be filmed as he worked, reasoning that the well loved nyckelharpa is a fragile remnant of a bygone time and hoping that the knowledge and insight required to build this unique traditional instrument not be lost. Peter serves as test driver of the resulting instrument.
4. An ongoing and evolving project is the "Swedish Folk Music Treasures" series. It involves documenting the musical traditions and repertoire of a variety of seasoned Swedish folk musicians, concentrating on mature masters of the nyckelharpa and fiddle.
The concern is that the repository of tunes and traditional playing styles be safeguarded for study by future generations. The intent is to present and preserve authentic source material for both serious students as well as lovers of Swedish folk music the world over.
To contact Rita Leydon and Peter Puma Hedlund
e-mail: Rita Leydon
www.ritaleydon.com
Please follow the links below to hear some of their music.
From Another Way" by Peter Puma Hedlund & Company
From "Vägen" by Peter Puma Hedlund
From "Fatang" by Fatang