The eminent folkmusician Curt Tallroth comes from Harbo in the county of Uppland, north of Stockholm. Curt is from a very musical family in which four of the twelve children have become well-known fiddlers. As youths Curt and his brothers Ivar and Sven came in contact with the master fiddler August Bohlin ( 1879-1949) learning his repertoire on both fiddle and nyckelharpa, a Swedish folk instrument. August Bohlin had a wealth of old melodies, quite unique, learned from his father, Janne Bohlin, who in turn had learnt them from his grandfather Per Hellstedt, whose father Olof Hellstedt had the honour of playing for King Gustaf III when he visited north Uppland as the crown prince around the year 1750. August Bohlin not only preserved the old melodies but was also always composing new tunes and extended his repertoire to include tunes from contemporary fiddlers. Thus the Tallroth brothers acquired a vast repertoire of tunes reflecting the development of folkmusic over a long period of time.

When Olov Johansson was 14 he met Curt Tallroth at a local folkmusic event. Curt realised how talented Olov was and invited him home to learn more about playing folkmusic. It was the beginning of a long friendship. Through the years Olov has devoted himself to Curt's repertoire and today is judged the foremost exponent of music handed down from August Bohlin. He has also popularised the nyckelharpa through his membership of groups such as Väsen,folkrock group Nordman, jazz-group Trio con X and the string quartet Kronos Quartet. Olov is a source of inspiration for many young nyckelharpists and also teaches at the Royal School of Music in Stockholm. Örsprång is a CD which reflects the long acquaintanceship of Curt and Olov. You'll hear tunes they have played many times through the years with a unique closeness between fiddle and nyckelharpa. Some tunes are brand new. Others have wandered from fiddler to fiddler since the 1700s. Örsprång is dedicated to all the masters and apprentices in the long chain the beginning of which was in the mid-18th century and the end of which nobody can have any idea about!