— This is quite simply one of the finest, and one of the finest played, albums of chamber music
that I have encountered all year.

(KlassiskMusikk.com, 18.07.2022. — Guy Rickards)

Ssens Trio 

Sølve Sigerland, fiolin
Henninge Landaas, bratsj
Ellen Margrete Flesjø, cello 

Ssens Trio (uttales «Essens») ble startet i 2014 av tre musikere med lang fartstid i internasjonalt musikkliv. Trioen har en omfattende konsertvirksomhet og har samarbeidet med, blant andre, Geir Inge Lotsberg, Amandine Savary, Håvard Gimse og Leif Ove Andsnes. Deres første CD med Beethoven Stryketrioer op.3 og 8 (LAWO Classics) mottok Supersonic Award (Pizzicato Magazine) og ble nominert til den prestisjetunge ICMA Award i 2018. Fanfare Magazine skrev: —With absolutely no hesitation I will say that it goes right to the top of my Beethoven String Trios list (Jerry Dubins). I Pizzicato Magazine fikk CD`en følgende omtale: — Beethoven with a Communicative Joy of Music-Making. Their performance is brimming with the joy of playing together. An outstanding 'trialogue', with each performer fully sensing the other. Through this interactive music making, which in the Adagio and Minuet movements invokes a remarkably intimate mood, Beethoven's works gain in depth and sensuousness. And when one combines the sensitive playing with a wonderfully eloquent virtuosity, the way is clear for pure listening pleasure (Alain Steffens).

I 2019 kom Ssens Trio ut med CD med musikk av W.A.Mozart på LAWO Classics. There is no need to beat around the bush. — This new performance by Ssens is the best I’ve ever heard, period (Fanfare Magazine, Jerry Dubins). Innspillingen er mottatt med svært gode omtaler i bl.a. Classica (Frankrike), Fanfare Magazine, Pizzicato Magazine og ble nominert til ICMA Awards og den høythengende Opus Klassik Award I Tyskland.

CD`en Ricercare med musikk av Johan Kvandal, Finn Mortensen, Edvard Fliflet Bræin og Bertil Palmar Johansen kom ut i 2022. —Texturally, the three players sound evenly balanced and their individual focus and technical acuity all come across in the punchiness and crispness of attack while at the same time giving voice to the expressive lyricism shared by all four pieces (The Strad, Matthew Rye). Den har mottatt rosende omtaler i bl.a. Gramophone, The Strad, Pizzicato Magazine (hvor den mottok Supersonic Award), Sonograma i Spania og i ledende tidskrifter i Nederland. I Norge har den fått veldig positiv mottagelse i bl.a. Dag og Tid, KlassiskMusikk og Ballade. Ricercare ble nominert til ICMA Awards og Opus Klassik i Tyskland i 2023.

Deres innspilling av Beethovens tre trioer op. 9, som kom ut i 2025, fullfører deres utgivelse av Beethovens samtlige verk for stryketrio. Også denne mottatt med rosende ord i norsk og internasjonal presse. — Right from the off, with the tone set by the genial G major Trio, op.9 No.1, this is a hugely enjoyable album [...] and there’s a wonderful sense of being directly in touch with the composer’s vision (BBC Music Magazine. Rebecca Franks).

Ssens Trio`s nyeste innspilling på LAWO Classics kom ut i 2026 og er viet Hafliði Hallgrímsson`s verk Lebensfries, som er komponert til Ssens Trio. Den har mottatt svært positive omtaler i bl.a. Morgenbladet, NRK.no, Pizzicato Magazine og Sonograma Magazine. — Far from seeking spectacular contrasts, the composer works with subtleties: micro variations of color, almost imperceptible dialogues, lines that intertwine with nearly organic fragility. Here the interpretation of the Ssens Trio becomes crucial, embracing this language with precision and sensitivity that avoid any hint of neutrality. Every phrase breathes, every nuance is shaped with utmost care (Sonograma Magazine, Núria Serra).

Ssens Trio er støttet av Kulturrådet og Larsen Strings.

Sølve Sigerland har viet mesteparten av sitt musikalske virke til kammermusikalsk utfoldelse, men har også stått frem som solist med flere av de ledende orkestre i Norden og overbevist under dirigenter som Andrew Litton, Daniel Harding og Walter Weller. I 1993 representerte han Norge i den Nordiske Solistbiennalen i Stockholm, og senere vant han to priser ved den internasjonale Tibor Varga-konkurransen i Sion, Sveits. Som medlem i Grieg Trio har han konsertert i Europa, USA og Asia, og mottatt priser for både konserter og CD-innspillinger. Sølve Sigerland har vært jurymedlem i bl.a. ARD konkurransen i München, Trondheim TICC og i Schubert and Modern Music i Graz, Østerrike .

Henninge Landaas var i 18 år alternerende solo-bratsjist i Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester og var en del av den internasjonalt anerkjente Vertavo Kvartetten i en årrekke, med turneer i konsertsaler over hele verden. Kritikerroste CD-innspillinger inkluderer verk av blant andre Carl Nielsen, Brahms, Bartok, Grieg og Debussy. Med Vertavo Kvartetten har Landaas mottatt Kritikerprisen, Spellemannprisen, og den høythengende Diapason d`Or i Frankrike. Hun har gitt ut en rekke CD-er på LAWO Classics, blant annet Brahms` Sonatas for Viola and Piano og The Golden Hindemith. Henninge Landaas spiller på en J. B. Guadagnini bratsj, utlånt av Dextra Musica. 

Ellen Margrete Flesjø var i 1987 med på å grunnlegge Grieg Trio. Med dette ensemblet har hun konsertert i Europa, USA og Asia, og utgitt CD-er på EMI, Virgin, og Simax Classics til glimrende kritikker. Priser inkluderer Parkhouse Award (London), første pris og to ekstra priser ved Colmar International Chamber Music Competition (Colmar, Frankrike), Kritikerprisen og Spellemannprisen. Hun har opptrådt som solist med bl.a. KORK og Stavanger Symfoniorkester og som gruppeleder i Det Norske Kammerorkester og KORK. I 2004—2009 var Ellen Margrete Flesjø kunstnerisk leder av den Internasjonale Kammermusikkfestivalen i Stavanger sammen med sine kolleger i Grieg Trio. 

TRIO

Johann Sebastian Bach  
«Goldberg Variasjoner» BWV. 988 (arr. Dmitri Sitkovetsky)

Ludwig van Beethoven
Trio i Ess-dur op.3
Serenade i D-dur op.8
Trio i G-dur op.9 nr.1
Trio i D-dur op.9 nr.2
Trio i c-moll op.9 nr.3

Anna Berg
«Earthward, Ever Circling» (2023)

Edvard Fliflet Bræin
Trio op.15 (1964)

Ernö Dohnanyi
Serenade i C-dur op.10

Hafliði Hallgrímsson
”Lebensfries” (for Ssens Trio, 2022)

Kyrre Sassebo Haaland
”Slåtter” (etter Knut J. Dale) (2007—2013)

Joseph Haydn
Trio i G-dur op.53 nr.1
Trio i B-dur op.53 nr.2
Trio i D-dur op.53 nr.3

Bertil Palmar Johansen
“Ricercare” for stryketrio (1996)

Zoltan Kodaly
Intermezzo (1905)

Gyorgy Kurtag
«Signs, Games and Messages» (1989-)

Johan Kvandal
Stryketrio op.12 (1950)

Bohuslav Martinu
Trio nr. 2 (1934)

Finn Mortensen
Trio op.3 (1950)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Divertimento i Ess-dur KV.563
Seks langsomme satser og trestemmige Fuger KV.404a

Krzysztof Penderecki
Trio (1991)

Alfred Schnittke
Trio (1985)

Franz Schubert
Trio i B-dur D.471
Trio i B-dur D.581

Mieczyslaw Weinberg
Trio op.48 (1950)

DUO

Händel/Halvorsen
Passacaglia for fiolin og bratsj/cello

Zoltan Kodaly
Duo for fiolin og cello op.7

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Duo i G-dur KV.423 for fiolin og bratsj

Maurice Ravel
Sonate for fiolin og cello (1920/22)

KVARTETT:

Johannes Brahms
Klavérkvartett i g–moll op.25
Klavérkvartett i A–dur op.26
Klavérkvartett i c–moll op.60

Edvard Fliflet Bræin
De Glade Musikanter op.1 (1946)
Divertimento for klarinett og stryketrio op.13 (1962)

Antonin Dvorak
Klavérkvartett i D–dur op.23
Klavérkvartett i Ess–dur op.87

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Fløytekvartett i D–dur KV.285
Klavérkvartett i g–moll KV.478
Klavérkvartett i Ess–dur KV.493

Marcus Paus
”Sonetter fra Moabit” for stemme og stryketrio
(for Ssens Trio, 2022)

KVINTETT:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Strykekvintett i B-dur KV.174
Strykekvintett i c-moll KV.406
Strykekvintett i C-dur KV.515
Strykekvintett i g-moll KV.516
Strykekvintett i A-dur KV.581
Strykekvintett i Ess-dur KV.614

Franz Schubert
«Forellkvintetten» i A-dur D.667

 Right click to download (submit credit)

Reviews

— Far from seeking spectacular contrasts, the composer works with subtleties: micro variations of color, almost imperceptible dialogues, lines that intertwine with nearly organic fragility. Here the interpretation of the Ssens Trio becomes crucial, embracing this language with precision and sensitivity that avoid any hint of neutrality. Every phrase breathes, every nuance is shaped with utmost care.

(Sonograma Magazine, 29.04.2026, Núria Serra)
(Haflidi Hallgrimsson Lebensfries/LWC1430)

— Right from the off, with the tone set by the genial G major Trio, op.9 No.1, this is a hugely enjoyable album. The rapport and ease between the three players, who have worked together as a trio for over a decade now, is a welcome given; what delights so much here is the varying characterization, which is beautifully judged. In both pieces, tempos are well judged, and there’s a wonderful sense of being directly in touch with the composer’s vision.

(BBC Music Magazine, March 2025, Rebecca Franks)
(Beethoven String Trios op.9/ LWC1343)

— This album by the Ssens Trio sets out to interpret the sweeping architecture of Beethoven’s string trios—works teeming with a rich tapestry of elements and textures. What emerges from their performance is the sense that the three trios— Opus 9, Nos. 1, 2, and 3—form a coherent, deeply intertwined narrative, one that resonates structurally, ideologically, and conceptually from within. Like every recording we have reviewed from the Ssens Trio, this one is marked by exquisite precision and an almost painterly attention to detail. The Ssens Trio—three exceptional musicians—perform with a lightness of touch and a refined clarity of articulation that reveal their extraordinary command of musical craft.

(Sonograma Magazine, 29.10.2024. Núria Serra)
(Beethoven String Trios op.9/ LWC1343)

— This showcase of modern Norwegian music for string trio features music that is consistently well written, varied in emotional signature and very accessible. The Ssens Trio (pronounce it “essence”) plays with powerful virtuosity and unmistakable devotion to this program. This is relatively obscure music, but it is of very high quality, and I would highly recommend this disc for those looking for something new and refreshing.

(Fanfare Magazine, Jan/ Feb 2023, Peter Burwasser)
(Ricercare String Trios by Kvandal, Mortensen, Bræin and Palmar Johansen/ LWC1238)

— Each piece on this meticulously played album helps illuminate its companions.

(Gramophone, August 2022, Andrew Mellor)
(Ricercare String Trios by Kvandal, Mortensen, Bræin and Palmar Johansen/ LWC1238)

— Beautifully balanced readings of a quartet of Norwegian trios” “The Ssens Trio (pronounced ‘essence’) makes a good case for these four string trios by Norwegian composers active in the postwar years. Recorded in a supportive but not over-resonant church acoustic, these are all very well-judged performances that bring out the individual characteristics of each composer. Texturally, the three players sound evenly balanced and their individual focus and technical acuity all come across in the punchiness and crispness of attack while at the same time giving voice to the expressive lyricism shared by all four pieces.

(The Strad, August 2022, Matthew Rye)
(Ricercare String Trios by Kvandal, Mortensen, Bræin and Palmar Johansen/ LWC1238)

— The Ssens Trio once again offers an hour of music as exciting as it is skillfully presented. After the previous CDs with big names like Beethoven and Mozart, they now present music from their homeland. And they succeed in doing so with the same degree of charm and verve as in the two previous recordings.

(Pizzicato Magazine, (given SUPERSONIC AWARD) 20.06.2022, Uwe Krusch)
(Ricercare String Trios by Kvandal, Mortensen, Bræin and Palmar Johansen/ LWC1238)

— This is quite simply one of the finest, and one of the finest played, albums of chamber music that I have encountered all year. The Ssens Trio are at their best in this marvellous new piece (Ricercare by Palmar Johansen)—well, it is only 26 years old!—as they are in the other pieces. Lawo’s sound is magnificent, too, the recordings made in the wonderful acoustic of Sofienberg Church, Oslo, between May 2020 and March 2021. Strongly recommended.

(KlassiskMusikk.com, 18.07.2022, Guy Rickards)
(Ricercare String Trios by Kvandal, Mortensen, Bræin and Palmar Johansen/ LWC1238)

— There is no need to beat around the bush. This new performance by Ssens is the best I’ve ever heard, period. Talk about each instrument being primus inter pares, about every note counting and making a significant contribution to spiritual and sensuous fulfillment, that’s what you have in the Ssens’s reading. — Every note is laid bare, every nuance of phrasing and dynamic fluctuation exposed, and it’s all perfect and incredibly beautiful.

(Fanfare Magazine, Jan/Feb 2020, Jerry Dubins)
(Mozart Divertimento K. 563 and Preludes and Fugues K 404a/ LWC LWC1170)

— In comparison with Trio Zimmermann’s clear phrasing and articulated lines (BIS) and Gidon Kremer, Kim Kashkashian and Yo-Yo Ma’s brilliant, soloistic inspirations (Sony Classical) Ssens Trio stands out with egal articulation, meticulous timbre and transparent, homogeneous textures. What a balance!

(Classica Magazine, Sept/ Oct 2019, Fabienne Bouvet)
(Mozart Divertimento K. 563 and Preludes and Fugues K 404a/ LWC1170)

KONTAkT

Europa:

Granvig Artists

Marianne Granvig
Pantheonsgade 12 st, DK—5000 Odense C, Danmark

P: +45 2829 7927
M: mg@granvigartists.dk

CVR—nr: 38 18 64 93

PR:

Vanderholst Arts Management

Floor van der Holst
M: floorvanderholst@vamartists.com

Ssens Trio:

ellenflesjoe@live.no
henninge@lawo.no
solve@ssenstrio.com