Swedish Music Spring – Singing Guidance

In all three works, the vocal element takes centre stage. Soprano soloist in two of the pieces is Alexandra Büchel – one of our foremost interpreters of contemporary music, among other genres. This spring, she appears at Norrlandsoperan in the newly composed opera Älskarinnorna by Jenny Wilson, based on Elfriede Jelinek’s novel Women as Lovers (Die Liebhaberinnen).

Vägar, flyktvägar (Paths, Escape Routes) for soprano and percussion by Ylva Q Arkvik is a triptych exploring themes of captivity in the past, the longing to flee from and to something new, and the magic of liberation in an unexpected moment. The poems are taken from an upcoming collection by playwright, librettist, and author Kerstin Perski. The music captures the dreamlike quality of the texts.

Omnia tempus habent (Everything Has Its Time) is Arne Mellnäs’s setting of the text from Ecclesiastes. Composed for solo soprano, it conveys a consoling message in both words and music: hardship is temporary, and light will return. The piece, best performed in a venue with generous acoustics, was premiered in 1972 at Visby Cathedral by Marianne Mellnäs.

Jag märker allting (I Notice Everything) by Hans Gefors is a cantata in a prologue and twelve movements, with actor Hannes Meidal as narrator, guiding us through the music. As vocal soloist, we hear countertenor Elias Aaron Johansson. Gefors weaves together lines from Strindberg’s pilgrimage play To Damascus with poems by the 20th-century Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez. The work is inspired by the Baroque cantata tradition, reflected both in its structure and instrumentation: narration, countertenor, a small choir, two violins, cello, percussion, and theorbo.

In collaboration with Swedish Music Spring. The concert is produced in partnership with the Society of Swedish Composers.