Krilla
Tradition and innovation meet in passionate Roma songs about suffering and love!
Krilja is a Gothenburg-based trio that plays traditional Roma songs from Russia and Eastern Europe. The music is of indefinite age but in many cases from the 1800th century onwards, and alternates between the lyrically melancholic and the fiery intense. The texts are in Romanesque and Russian and are about grief, pain, poverty and suffering, but also about love and passion.
The arrangements consist of their own interpretations that the musicians have improvised, often influenced by, among other things, flamenco, but are still faithful to the traditional style.
The name Krilja means "wings" in some Roma dialects and also in Russian.
Krilja has mostly performed in Sweden since the group's founding, but has also toured with great success in Scotland in 2013 and in Iceland in 2017.
In addition to regular concert activities, Krilja also offers a combined lecture and concert where the group's violinist Jonas Liljeström tells about the Roma's history, culture and music, with musical examples that the group performs live. The total length is about an hour. The group has previously given this lecture at, among others, the University of Gothenburg, Billströmska Folk High School and Siglufjör∂ur Folk Music Festival in Iceland. In addition to professional musicians, Jonas is also a doctoral student in musicology at the University of Gothenburg.
Krilja's debut album received rave reviews and has been played on radio all over the world. The group's second album with the title "Sosnitsa" (recorded at Studio Epidemin in Gothenburg in the spring of 2023) will be released in the fall of 2023.
Review from Norran:
http://norran.se/noje-kultur/musik/bjuder-pa-harlig-variation-450161
Review from Uppsala Nya Tidning:
https://www.unt.se/kultur-noje/skivor/musikskatt-fran-goteborg-3800347.aspx
Marita Johansson: vocals, guitar, tambourine
Emil Pernblad: guitar
Jonas Liljeström: violin, vocals
(The band photo was taken by Stig-Magnus Thorsén.)