The new album certainly embraces this concept - rather than re-hashing folk tropes, the foursome arrange their music with a decidedly “cinematic flair” (Mick Mercer’s Panache, UK). Each tune tells its own story, navigating liminal spaces of heartbreak, danger, trauma, and oppression, and still emerging whole. And they manage to effortlessly weave these themes in and out of traditional melodies ranging from America to Armenia. 

Keep reading to uncover what songs are featured on "Weaving Gold" & unearth the stories that led them to Medusa…

1 Tamzara  

A traditional tune and circle dance from Armenia, Tamzara is often played on Parkapzuk, or Armenian bagpipes, and drums. Here, we maintain the driving 9/8 rhythm but add our own inspirations to the melody, with a cinematic interlude that builds to a triumphant fanfare near the end. Thank you to Mike Anklewicz who taught Geo Hathaway this hypnotic tune.

Instrumentation : Nyckelharpa, Suka, Violin, Cello
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Trad. Armenian

2 Dancing Room Only / Chasing the Sun  

Beginning with three cacophonous chords, this jig medley quickly resolves itself into sheer delight and the joy of movement. Written in the Celtic style, the first tune, written by Saskia, is inspired by her daughter Eile who basically came out of the womb dancing! The tune is written in the Key of E, for Eile, and we dare you not to dance to it. The second tune is more modern in sensibility, crafted by Lea Kirstein, and came from their experience of teaching teen fiddlers - an invitation not to hide our light and our weird and wonderful selves. In it you’ll hear the soaring, entrancing notes of the ethereal Hardanger fiddle, played expertly by Elise Boeur.

Instrumentation : Violin, Hardanger fiddle, Viola, Cello 
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Saskia Tomkins / Lea Kirstein / Canada

3 Vulgar Bulgar  

In this raucous ride of a tune, composer Saskia Tomkins pairs her long-standing obsession with Bulgarian rhythms and a cheeky slight towards bulgur wheat. We explore rhythmic tension and release as different time signatures clash and sway, while growling, lamenting and joyful harmonies soar above them. Our arrangement uses an alternating ⅞ and 7/4 rhythm to produce spellbinding and intoxicating effects. The track features Persian percussion goddess Naghmeh Farahmand.

Instrumentation : Nyckelharpa, Violin,Lyra, Cello, hand percussion
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Saskia Tomkins / Canada

4 Weaving Gold in Broken Places

It is said that pottery mended with the Japanese art of Kintsugi is stronger than before it was broken. This practice, which uses gold to reconnect lost pieces, is the inspiration for this composition. Composer Lea Kirstein’s experience dancing the traditional French dance ‘Schottische’ in the Balfolk community led to this tune. The arrangement takes audiences on a journey of healing through connection to ourselves and others. “The reason Kintsugi inspires us is because it doesn’t cover up the cracks, it uses them to build a stronger container. In Medusa, we don’t shy away from our cracks either - we see them as beautiful.”

Instrumentation : Violin, Nyckelharpa, Viola, Cello
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Lea Kirstein / Canada

5 Kujawiak / Oberek 

Kujawiak and Oberek are traditional Polish dances that contrast in both tempo and character. Kujawiak is slow and expressive, while Oberek is fast and vigorous. Both are written in triple meter and employ a flexible rubato that produces a distinctive swaying quality, incorporating irregular subdivisions of 2, 4, 5, and 7 within the pulse. Rhythmic accents arise organically from the dancers’ steps rather than from an imposed meter, subtly reshaping the melodic flow and challenging a strictly metronomic sense of time. Enjoy the ride!

Instrumentation : Nyckelharpa, Violin, Plock Fiddle, Suka, Cello
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Trad.Polish, Marta Solek / Canada

6 Aaron’s Key / The Musical Priest 

Paul Roche, the celebrated flutist of Stockton’s Wing, composed the jig “Aaron’s Key,” reportedly naming it after the teething ring his son Aaron chewed as a toddler. “An Sagart Ceolmhar” (“The Musical Priest”) is a beloved Irish tune first documented in 1865 and later popularized by fiddler James Morrison in a 1935 Columbia recording. Through a soulful and minimalist arrangement, we explore the freedom and depth of these tunes, inviting listeners to close their eyes and be carried by the music.                                                      

Instrumentation: Violin, Violin, Plock Fiddle, Cello
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Paul Roche, Trad. / Ireland

7 Air for Petronella 

Saskia composed this piece in 2024 in response to learning about the injustice suffered by Petronella de Meath, a maid in the household of Lady Alice Kyteler in Kilkenny, Ireland. After the death of her fourth husband, Lady Alice was accused of witchcraft. Because she was wealthy and connected, she managed to escape prosecution while her servants were left to face imprisonment and torture. On 3 November 1324, Petronella was found guilty and burned at the stake, becoming the first person in Ireland convicted of heresy and the first woman in Europe executed for witchcraft. 

The music of this piece emerged from the emotional impact of her story rather than from a pre-planned concept, and explores both the despair and pain felt by Petronella, and the eventual journey to healing and freedom. By a complete coincidence, the quartet happened to premiere the work on November 3 2024, the 700th anniversary of Petronella’s execution and the date of her official exoneration.

Learn more about Petronella & the Kilkenny Witch Trials

Instrumentation : Nyckelharpa, Viola, Lyra, Cello                            
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Saskia Tomkins / Canada

8 Kerry Polska 

In this composition we take a theme from Sibelius’ 5th symphony and weave it back into a fiddle tune. The Polska is the national dance of Sweden, which has its roots in Poland. In this arrangement, we create a bridge between Swedish, Polish, and classical musical traditions. Classical composers have been “borrowing” themes from folk musicians for centuries without crediting them - and so we thought we would borrow one back! In this piece we ride the line between folk and classical music, between the raw and the refined. 

Instrumentation : Nyckelharpa, Violin, Viola, Cello
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Rune Barslund / Sweden

9 A Heart’s Cry / Leyla’s Salon 

The first tune of this medley is written by Turkish composer, writer, and poet Leyla Saz (1850-1936). We play an instrumental version, however, the melody’s lyrics speak of unrequited love and longing: “Duymasın Kimse Yine Kalbi Olan Feryadımı" - in English, "Let no one hear the cry that is the heart.” Saz grew up in the harem of the Ottoman empire, studied piano from an early age, and was known to host salons in her living room where musicians, artists, and scientists would meet and share their ideas. She composed about 200 vocal and instrumental works in the Turkish classical style and was the author of a famous memoir detailing life in the Ottoman harem. Geo Hathaway, who is studying Turkish music, has written the second piece in the medley as an homage to the life and work of this energetic and prolific woman.

Instrumentation : Violin, Viola, Cello, Lyra
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Leyla Saz /Turkey , Geo Hathaway /Canada

10 Pompey Ran Away / Paddy's Trip to Scotland / Elzic's Farewell 

This medley brings together three lively tunes linked by fluid arrangements and infectious energy. “Pompey Ran Away” is one of the oldest documented Appalachian old-time fiddle tunes. “Pompey” was a name often given to people escaping slavery in the Southern United States, and the tune is emblematic of the evolution of West African ngoni into early American banjo music. It first appeared in written form in James Aird's "Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs" in 1782.

We connect it to “Paddy’s Trip to Scotland,” a spirited Irish reel dating to the 19th century, when musical exchange between Ireland and Scotland was constant, especially among travelling musicians and migrant workers. The medley finishes with “Elzic’s Farewell,” a traditional Appalachian barn-burner whose driving momentum gets people dancing immediately. The tune's origin is cloudy, but many agree that it was composed by Harvey Elswick, who served on the side of the Union in the Civil War and played the tune for his dying mother - hence the addition "Farewell". The medley speaks to the surviving power of music to uplift the body and soul, even during times of oppression or war.

Instrumentation : Nyckelharpa, Violin, Suka, Cello
Arrangement : Medusa Quartet
Composer : Trad. / American,  Trad. /Irish,  Trad. / American