In the 16th century a clergyman from the Finnish town of Turku, which was then ruled by Sweden, put together a collection of "pious singings" (Piae Cantiones) for the students of the cathedral school. Since it was published in the then "Swedish" city of Greifswald, the precious treasures survived for future generations. Some of the melodies have Scandinavian origins, some are "imported" from Germany, Bohemia and the Mediterranean region and often date back into medieval times. The ENSEMBLE LA CHIMERA refer to their original programme concept as "Early Fusion. The musicians combine old instruments like lutes and violas da gamba with Norway’s traditional Hardanger violin and the modern saxophone – a surprising and imaginative transfer of sounds between the ages.