The Vancouver Cantata Singers The VCS Board Paula Kremer, Artistic Director President: Sarah McNair Vice-President: Jesse Read Rachel Brown Eric Biskupski Treasurer: Christina Cho Emily Cheung Mark Anthony Briand Secretary: Jim Sanyshyn Missy Clarkson Sam Dabrusin Directors: Melody Yiu, Beth Helsley Sarah McGrath Dean Edmundson Wendy McMillan Ray Horst Trevor Mangion, Missy Clarkson Benila Ninan Andrew Lennox Singers’ Rep: Sarah McGrath Hilary Piets Daniel Marshall The VCS Staff Asha Pratt-Johnson Andy Robb General Manager: Michelle Herrewynen Eve Richardson Taka Shimojima Front of House Manager: Genevieve MacKay Nick Sommer www.vancouvercantatasingers.com Melanie Adams Andy Booth Maureen Bennington Derrick Christian Follow us on Ann Chen Doug Colpitts Thank you to this evening’s volunteers: Elspeth Finlay Chris Doughty Alan Woodland Philippa Taylor Mavis Friesen Matthew Fisher Alor Krjukov Katherine Serrano Beth Helsley Gerald Harder Our very special thanks to these people who Nina Horvath J. Evan Kreider recorded pronunciations of the Icelandic, Katie Horst Larry Nickel Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish texts. Sarah McNair Dave Rosborough Haida Irvine Camilla Aase Gisli Magna Sigríðarson Erling Christensen Troy Topnik Kim West Anna-Maija Nibbelink Jonsi (Jon Josep Saebjornsson)

Born in Vancouver and educated at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the University of British Columbia, Paula Kremer has studied choral conducting in courses and workshops at Eton, Westminster Choir College, the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan. Holding an ARCT in both piano and voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Paula has also studied voice with Phyllis Mailing, Bruce Pullan, Marisa Gaetanne and Laura Pudwell, and piano from Margot Ehling. A full-time faculty member of the School of Music at Vancouver Community College, teaching voice, solfege, and choir, she was also the director of two Vancouver Bach Choir ensembles for young adults from 2009-17, the Vancouver Bach Youth Choir and Sarabande Chamber Choir. Paula joined the alto section of our choir in 1994, and has been the Vancouver Cantata Singers’ Artistic Director since 2013.

2 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Songs of the North

Saturday, May 25, 2019, 7:30 (Scandinavian Community Centre, Burnaby) Iceland Hvíld Guðmundsson Heyr, himna smiður Sigurbjörnsson Norway Våren Grieg, arr. Doughty* Bruremarsj fra Østerdalen Trad. Norwegian, arr. Indrehus/Doughty* Gjendines bådnlåt Trad. Norwegian/Gjendine Stålien, arr. Eriksson Rêve pour l’hiver Havrøy Denmark Wiigen-Lied Nørgård Yndigt dufter Danmark Schultz Så tag mit hjerte Magna Interval Sweden I denna ljuva sommartid Trad. Swedish, arr. Ollén Som när handen Hansson Aftonen Alfvén Finland Sydämeni laulu Sibelius Läksin minä kesäyönä käymään Trad. Finnish Folksong, arr. Madetoja Metsä and Vuodenajat Matheson Butterfly Makaroff, arr. Makaroff and Kähärä El Hambo Mäntyjärvi

Thank You For The Music (Sweden) Andersson and Ulvaeus, arr. Gies Toiset Meistä (Finland) Lehtinen, arr. Matheson

*Member of VCS

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 3 SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Songs of the North

Programme notes by J. Evan Kreider, Professor Emeritus of Musicology, UBC, Member of VCS

Iceland Hvíld Hugi Guðmundsson

After studying guitar and composition at Reykjavík College of Music and the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Hugi Guðmundsson (born in 1977 in Reykjavik) completed a second Masters degree in electronic music (Institute of Sonology, The Netherlands). He then played guitar in the heaviest death metal bands he could find before returning to his roots in classical music and composition. He recently received the Icelandic Music Award for his opera Hamlet in Absentia.

The librarian Snorri Hjartarson (1906-1986) is known primarily for his poetry in Icelandic, which received the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1981. This evening’s poem comes from his third collection of poems, Lauf og stjörnur (“Leaves and Stars”). Guðmundsson set it to music in 2009 in memory of his voice teacher and mentor, Halldór Vilhelmsson. Lyngt geymir vatnið The still lake masks Leið mína yfir fjallið, My way over the mountain, Felur hana rökkri Hides it in the hush Og ró í nótt. And dusk of night.

Vær geymir svefninn Gentle sleep holds Söknuð minn í lautu My heartache in a hollow; Með degi rís hann aftur It rises again at dawn Úr djúpsins ró. From the silence of the deep.

Heyr, himna smiður Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson

Heyr, himna smiður is based on the text of a 13��-century Icelandic hymn attributed to Kolbeinn Tumason (1173-1208) and is thought to be the oldest Nordic hymn. His influence as an Icelandic chieftain of the Asbirningar family clan during this violent time of turmoil enabled him to appoint clergy to positions of importance. One such appointee, however, the Bishop Guðmundur Arason, insisted upon acting independently of all Iceland’s chieftains. In the ensuing battle of their respective followers, Kolbeinn’s head was bashed in with a rock. It is said that he composed this moving hymn shortly before going into that fateful battle (though one tradition suggests that he wrote it on his deathbed).

[Benila Ninan, Melanie Adams, Andy Robb, Derrick Christian, quartet]

4 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson (1938-2013), the son of a Theology Professor and the Protestant Bishop of Iceland, studied and later taught music at the Conservatory of Reykjavik and elsewhere. He was known internationally as a pianist and composer, and locally as a broadcaster, critic, educator and champion of Iceland’s expanding community of young composers. He wrote Heyr, himna smiður (1996) in the style of a modern prayerful hymn. Heyr, himna smiður, Hear, heaven’s maker Hvers skáldið biður, What the poet asks, Komi mjúk til mín Bring gently to me Miskunnin þín. Your mercy, því heit eg á þig, I beg of you, þú hefur skaptan mig. For you created me, Eg er þrællinn þinn, I am your servant, þú ert Drottinn minn. You are my Lord.

Guð, heit eg á þig, God, I beg of you, Að græðir mig. Heal me, Minnst, mildingur, mín, Remember how great Mest þurfum þín. Our need of thee is. Ryð þú, röðla gramur, Almighty God, Ríklyndur og framur, Heaven’s king, Hölds hverri sorg Clear away human sorrow, Úr hjartaborg. Take it from our hearts.

Gæt, mildingur, mín, Let your grace protect me Mest þurfum þín, In my sore need Helzt hverja stund Every moment Á hölda grund. On this earth. Set, meyjar mögur, Sweet Jesus, Mary’s son, Máls efni fögur, Put in my heart Öll er hjálp af þér, Beautiful thoughts, Í hjarta mér For all help comes from thee. Kolbeinn Tumason (c. 1173-1208; 1208)

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 5 Norway Våren (Last Spring) Edvard Grieg (arr. Chris Doughty¹) Våren (literally “the Spring”) was first published in 1881 as part of a collection of 12 songs (Op. 33) which Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) built on poetry by Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818-1870).

After centuries of rule by the Danish and subsequent union with Sweden, a true Norwegian national identity finally began to emerge in the 1800s. The arts were at the forefront of this, with the development of a kind of romantic nationalism championed by cultural figures such as Grieg and Henrik Ibsen. Vinje was a contemporary writer who first published the poem Våren in his periodical Dølen. At the time, written Norwegian language took the form of Rijksmål, a derivative of Danish which was significantly different from the various dialects that were spoken throughout Norway. Growing up in a rural area, Vinje was a pioneer of the use of Landsmål, a written language developed to more closely resemble the way that people actually spoke. Våren is written in a dialect that is much closer to Landsmål than to Rijksmål. At the time the 12 songs were published, Grieg received some criticism over the use of such “ugly” language, and perhaps this is what persuaded him to arrange the melody of Våren for string orchestra as part of Two Elegiac Melodies (Op. 34). It has long been a desire of mine to take the gorgeous harmonies from the version for strings and re-attach the lyrics of the poem in a setting for choir.

Våren describes the joy of watching winter “flee” into spring, and observing all the changes that it brings both for the senses and for the spirit. The Nordic philosophy of friluftsliv or “open-air living” was popularized by Ibsen and reflects the cultural emphasis on nature as the source of health and wellbeing, a theme reflected in several other pieces in this program. The English version of the title, “Last Spring”, derives from the poignant middle verse of the poem which is not included in this arrangement but makes clear that the narrator is at the end of life, realizing that this may be the final time he will witness the springtime re-emergence of life and sound from the stillness of winter. --notes by Chris Doughty Enno ein Gong fekk eg Vetren å sjå Once again did I see Winter for Våren å røma Flee into Spring, Heggen med Tre som der blomar var på, Hedges with trees where there were once eg atter såg bløma. flowers, Enno ein Gong fekk eg Isen å sjå I saw bloom again. frå Landet å fljota, Once again did I see ice Snjoen å bråna og Fossen i Å Float away from the land, å fyssa og brjota. Snow melting and the waterfall into the stream, Graset det grøne eg enno ein Gong Flowing and breaking. fekk skoda med Blomar; The green grass once again enno eg høyrde at Vårfuglen song I saw blooming; mot Sol og mot Sumar. I heard the spring bird’s song Towards the sun and Summer. ¹Member of VCS. This arrangement was made for VCS. 6 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Eingong eg sjølv i den vårlege Eim, Someday in the spring-like atmosphere som mettar mit Auga, That fills my senses/eyes, eingong eg der vil meg finna ein Heim Sometime I will find myself a home og symjande lauga. And a swimming-hole to bathe. Alt det, som Våren imøte meg bar All that the Spring brought to me og Blomen, eg plukka, And the flowers I picked, Federnes Ånder eg trudde det var, I thought it was the spirits of the fathers som dansa og sukka. That danced and sighed. Derfor eg fann millom Bjørkar og Bar Therefore I found between birches and pines i Våren ei Gåta; In Spring a riddle; derfor det Ljod i den Fløyta eg skar, Therefore the sound of the flute that I carved, meg tyktes å gråta. Seemed to me to be weeping.

Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818-1870), trans. Chris Doughty and Camilla Aase

Bruremarsj fra Østerdalen Trad. Norwegian Wedding March (arr. Per H. Indrehus/Chris Doughty²)

Per Haldor Indrehus (1937-2004) was born on the remote island of Hovden on the north west coast of Norway. He taught high school music for three decades, occasionally taking professional leaves for composing and concertizing. He later taught a course on Norwegian folk music at the Ole Bull Academy in Voss. One of his ideals was to promote and create music which he believed could be understood across borders and cultures. He was a popular radio TV broadcaster and could often be found organizing concerts.

His life-long interest in Norwegian folk music and singing led him to create an informal arrangement of this popular Norwegian wedding march, imitating what people might do while processing with the wedding party—making up nonsense syllables on the fly, no agreement required. We are singing a choral arrangement created by Chris Doughty. Chris first heard this song performed by a high school choir from Bergen, Norway while visiting with his youth choir in Wales on an exchange programme. The Welsh choir enjoyed it so much they asked if they could learn the song. The two choirs then sang it together. Chris cannot remember ever having seen the music for it back then, but decades later contacted his former choir accompanist who had still had a copy of that casual arrangement by Indrehus. Chris then modified the arrangement for a friend’s wedding. The song, especially with its rhythmic nonsense syllables (now the same in all voices) almost makes our feet move involuntarily while we sing it.

²Member of VCS. SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 7 Gjendines bådnlåt Trad. Norwegian Lullaby/Gjendine Stålien (arr. Gunnar Eriksson)

Named after the place near which she was born (Gjende), Kaia Gjendine Slålien (1871-1972) became a farmer’s wife. One fine summer day in 1891, Edvard Grieg happened to overhear her quiet playing and singing of a folksong. He was so intrigued that he finally persuaded the shy herd girl to sing some other folksongs while she stood behind a closed door and he listened on the other side. Grieg included a number of Gjendine’s songs in his works. This evening’s traditional Norwegian lullaby is sometimes called “Gjendine’s Lullaby” since her singing revived its popularity. At age 90, Gjendine was invited to be the Bergen International Festival’s Guest of Honour in 1961.

Music Professor and choral conductor, Gunnar Eriksson (born 1936) tells us that this arrangement: . . . was created in 1993, I think, in response to a request from Oslo Kammarkör and their fabulous conductor Grete Pedersen . . . Their vision was for various composers to find a more contemporary approach to the music in new arrangements . . . Soon it became clear to me that it takes courage to approach this wonderful lullaby—so I did the ‘unthinkable’ and dressed my arrangement of this Scandinavian jewel with a bit of a Cuban touch, creating a new perspective on the song.

Barnet legges í vuggen ned The child is laid in the cradle, Stundom greder og stundom ler. Sometimes smiling, sometimes crying. Sove nu, sove nu í Jesu navn, Sleep now, sleep now, in the name of Jesus. Jesus bevare barnet. Jesus keep this child safe.

Min mor hun tok meg på sitt fang, My mother took me in her arms, Danse med meg frem og tilbake. Danced with me back and forth. Danse så, med de små, Dance with the little ones, dance. Danse så. Så skal barnet danse. So shall they dance.

Trad. Norwegian lullaby as sung by Gjendines Bånlåt (1871-1972)

Rêve pour l’hiver Frank Havrøy

While still in grade three, the precocious Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) was encouraged by his tutor to write poetry in both French and Latin. Our somewhat later poem tells of two young lovers putting some privacy to good use while riding in a small enclosed carriage. Interestingly, the sixteen-year-old Rimbaud wrote Rêve pour l’hiver on October 7, 1870 (the year his first poem appeared in print) while riding in a carriage when running away from his domineering mother. In his vivid imagination, the young girl cannot resist the young man’s enthusiastic audacity. This is one of several poems showing the teenager’s emerging curiosity about sexuality which would eventually be acted out in full during his tumultuous bohemian years. Although he lost all interest in writing by the ripe old age of 21, the poems of Rimbaud’s youth eventually influenced the Dadaists and Surrealists. Our setting was composed by Frank Havrøy (2015), one of Norway’s new generation of composers and arrangers who is also known as a baritone soloist.

8 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES L’hiver, nous irons dans un petit wagon rose In winter we’ll travel in a little pink carriage Avec des coussins bleus. With cushions of blue. Nous serons bien. Un nid de baisers fous repose We’ll be fine. A nest of mad kisses waits Dans chaque coin moelleux. In each corner too.

Tu fermeras l’oeil, pour ne point voir, par la glace, You’ll shut your eyes, not to see, through the glass, Grimacer les ombres des soirs, Grimacing shadows of evening, Ces monstruosités hargneuses, populace Those snarling monsters, a crowd going past De démons noirs et de loups noirs. Of black wolves and black demons.

Puis tu te sentiras la joue égratignée . . . . Then you’ll feel your cheek tickled quite hard . . . . Un petit baiser, comme une folle araignée, A little kiss, like a maddened spider, Te courra par le cou . . . . Will run over your neck . . . .

Et tu me diras: “Cherche!” en inclinant la tête, And you’ll say: “Catch it!” bowing your head, — Et nous prendrons du temps à trouver cette bête — And we’ll take our time finding that creature — Qui voyage beaucoup . . . . — Who travels so far . . . .

Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891, written “En wagon” Oct. 7, 1870) Wiigen-Lied Per Nørgård

Although you may not be familiar with his lush 8 symphonies, 11 concerti, or 6 operas, if you saw the wonderful film Babette’s Feast (1987), you have heard music by Per Nørgård (born 1932 in Gentofte, Denmark). In 1979, he was profoundly influenced by seeing an exhibition of works by Adolf Wölfli (1864-1930), the gifted Swiss artist and poet who had been physically and sexually abused as an orphan before becoming an indentured child labourer. Suffering from psychosis as an adult and acting out with aggressive behaviour, Wölfli was eventually placed in a psychiatric hospital in Bern for the rest of his life, where he created intricate drawings that are simply marvelous—20,000 in all. In addition to the drawings, Nørgåd was intrigued by Wölfli’s poem, “Wiigen-Lied” and set its nonsensical German-like lines to music as a ‘lullaby’ in 1979-80. Nørgård explains this unusual text:

The first movement, Lullaby (“Wiigen-Lied,” in Adolph Wölfli’s typically sensual spelling) has many psychological aspects, and it is punctuated by strange, distant calls, reminiscent of those of a street vendor or those of a mother calling from way up in a tower block to her child way down in a narrow courtyard.

Some of the nonsense text recalls bits of a Swiss-German dialect or even Plattdeutsch (Low German). The two lone phrases in German seem to sum up the poet’s tragic state of mind, while at other times we catch snatches of children’s names being called out in Sprechtstimme/speaking-voice. We very much doubt that this ‘lullaby’ would ever induce sleep.

[Emily Cheung and Eric Biskupski, soloists]

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 9 G’ganggali ging g‘g’ang, g’gung g’gung! Giigara-Lina Wiiy Rosina, G’ganggali ging g‘g’ang, g’gung g’gung!

Rittare-Gritta, d’Zittara Witta. G’ganggali ging g‘g’ang, g’gung g’gung Giigaralina, Giig ‘R a Fina, G’ganggali ging g‘g’ang, g’gung g’gung! Fung z’Jung, chung d’Stung. Kummer, fasst uns alle, keiner geht frei, Grief grips us all, none goes free, Beliebig fasst uns, der Kummer. Randomly grabs us, Grief.

G’ganggali ging g‘g’ang, g’gung g’gung! Fung z’Jung, chung d’Stung.

Adolf Wölfli (1864-1930). trans. Peter Neudorf for VCS

Yndigt dufter Danmark Svend S. Schultz

Svend S. Schultz (1913-1998) studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Music. In addition to composing music for choirs, chamber ensembles, film, and opera, he was a music critic for the newspaper Politiken and worked for Danish Radio for 34 years. He has been credited with creating the modern Nordic style of choral writing, which he himself once described as “bright, thin and dry”.

Yndigt dufter Danmark Sweet is Denmark’s fragrance I skærsommerluften, At midsummer’s coming, Mærk, hvor lyset, duften Feel the light, scents, Næsten hvisker: Tøv. Humming almost whisper: Stay! Hør, hvor drosler, stære Starlings, thrushes, hear them, Nærmer sig det nære, Joy will soon draw near them, Lykken ved at være, New life come to cheer them, Skønt skæsommers løv Though the leaves soon must Snart, for snart er støv. All too soon, be dust. Støv og støv og støv. Dust and dust and dust.

10 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Yndigt dufter Danmark Sweet is Denmark’s fragrance I skærsommernatten, In midsummer’s night now, Drøm, at du er atten Dream that you are eighteen, how Og har dugget hår. Your hair’s moist with dew. Hyld langs alle veje Elders lining pathways Og en kåd skalmeje: And a shawm’s glad forays Ønsker du at eje Would you own them always Alt, før alt forgår Ere all disappears I hvor mange år? For how many years? År og år og år. Years and years and years.

Yndigt dufter Danmark Sweet is Denmark’s fragrance I skærsommerregnen, In midsummer’s showers, Find ved daggry egnen Find at daybreak bowers I en em af vin! In a haze of wine. Skjulte nattergale, Nightingales still hidden, Vakt af himmelsk dvale, From sweet slumber risen, Får dig tyst i tale: Hear you ask unbidden: Vil du være min? Will you be my own? Jeg er altid din. I am yours alone. Din og din og din. Yours and yours and yours. Ulf Hoffmann; trans. John Irons Sa tag mit hjerte Gisli Magna Sigrioarson (aka “Gisli Magna”)

Gisli Magna’s interest in music is almost genetic, since his grandfather was an Icelandic composer. Magna studied music at the Reykjavik Singing Academy and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He has sung in various professional choirs in The Netherlands and Denmark. He also can be heard singing jazz, cabaret, and classical music throughout northern Europe and Iceland. Now located primarily in Copenhagen, where he teaches, coaches privately, and leads a choir, the versatile Magna has also been conducting choir in Iceland, leading workshops in Portugal, composing, and arranging. He wrote this song for the wedding of a friend, drawing on the wonderful words of the Danish poet, Tove Irma Margit Ditlevsen (1917-1976). Having married and divorced four husbands, Ditlevsen authoritatively explored the many aspects and stages of love in her 29 books and numerous poems.

Så tag mit hjerte i dine hænder, So take my heart in your hands, Men tag det varsomt og tag det blidt, But take it carefully and take it gently, Det røde hjerte—nu er det dit. The red heart—now it is yours.

Det slår så roligt, det slår så dæmpet, It beats so calmly, it beats so quietly, For det har elsket og det har lidt, For it has loved and suffered, Nu er det stille—nu er det dit. Now it is still—now it is yours. (over)

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 11 Og det kan såres, og det kan segne, It was so strong and so proud, my heart, Og det kan glemme og glemme tit, It slept and dreamed of lust and fun, Men glemmer aldrig—at det er dit. Now it can be crushed—but only by you.

Det var så stærkt og så stolt, mit hjerte, And it can be hurt and it may sink, Det sov og drømte i lyst og leg, And it can forget and forget often, Nu kan det knuses—men kun af dig. But it never forgets that it is yours.

Tove Irma Margit Ditlevsen (1917-1976; 1942) Interval Sweden I denna ljuva sommartid Traditional Swedish Hymn (arr. Bengt Ollén)

Bengt Ollén (born 1950 in Lidköping, Sweden) studied mechanical engineering and worked in a ball bearing factory. But following his love of music, he returned to university and is now an accomplished choral conductor and teacher. He still conducts his prize-winning Sofia Vokalensemble.

Gerhardt’s original German hymn, Geh’ aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud (pub. 1653) had 15 verses. The hymn was translated into Swedish by Joachim von Düben (1725) and often sung by schools on the day before summer holidays. Our version of this Swedish hymn text has been arranged by Bengt Ollén and does not use the tune now heard in most Swedish Lutheran churches. Instead, after we perform some improvised ‘herding calls and whistles’ (not that any of us could possibly herd anything), the women sing the song’s initial five phrases, but at different speeds, while the men sing sustained notes to series of random vowels. Eventually we get organized and all is well.

[Missy Clarkson, soloist] I denna ljuva sommartid, In this delightful summertime, Gå ut, min själ, och gläd dig vid Step out(side), my soul, and rejoice in Den store Gudens gåvor. The gifts of the mighty Lord. Se, hur i prydning jorden står, Behold, how Earth is adorned, Se, hur för dig och mig hon får Behold, how she gets her bounties Så underbara håvor. For your sake, and mine.

Av rika löv är grenen full, The tree branches abound in leaves, Och jorden täckt sin svarta mull And Earth has covered her black soil Med sköna gröna kläder. With glorious green clothes. De fagra blommors myckenhet The multitude of fair flowers, Med större prakt och härlighet With their splendour and glory, Än Salomos dig gläder. Gladdens you more than Solomon's (gardens). Paul Gerhardt (1653), Swedish trans. by Joakim von Düben (1725), English trans. by Eva Toller

12 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Som när handen Bo Hansson

Bo Hansson (born 1950 in Kalmar, Sweden) is a guitarist and composer who teaches at Södra Latin (Stockholm), a secondary school specializing in training talented musicians.

To start with, Bo Hansson composed music in folk and jazz styles. Since the early 90´s he has preferred to compose in a contemporary classical style. His first choral composition, "Som när handen" was awarded 1st prize in a 1993 national choral composition competition. Since that time, he has composed many works for choir a cappella as well as solo, chamber, and orchestral music. —from the composer’s website: https://bohansson.com/about.html

In addition to writing poetry, Annika Hultmann Löfvendahl (born 1956) is also a professional translator (10 books and counting).

Annika Hultman Löfvendahl’s text begins at daybreak and Hansson uses middle C almost like the point on the horizon from where the breaking sun will appear. The sound quickly expands into an exultant C major. Following this, ‘A journey is begun’ with repetitions in all parts like deliberate footsteps. The use of such ostinatos is to become another fingerprint of the composer’s style. To conclude, Hansson recalls the opening ‘As when the day dawns’ with pianissimo unison Cs from all voices. — Rupert Gough, hyperion: Hansson: Endless border & other choral works CDA67881

Som när dagen gryr As when day dawns och i det första ljuset and at first light luften andas the air is glas crystal, en doft av äng scented like a meadow.

En vandring tar sin början A journey is begun föds a journey is born och lämnar steg Leaving traces i sanden in the sand. När vinden drar förbi When the wind passes vet enbart minnet: only memory knows Du var här you were here. (Over)

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 13 Av nätter som ska komma Born of nights Av djupblå hav Born of dark blue sea och rymd and space Ditt hjärtas slag! your heartbeat Och allt jag ville ge dig: and everything I would give to you.

Som när handen As when a hand sakta gently smeker bort en smärta smoothes away a pain endast anad that was but scarcely divined och en självning sjunker undan and a shudder dies away som en svalas like a swallow’s Andetag. breath. Annika Hultman Löfvendahl (b. 1956)

Aftonen Hugo Alfvén

Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960) began his musical career as a professional violinist in the Royal Opera (Stockholm) and the Royal Swedish Orchestra. While with his first wife, the Danish painter Marie Triepcke, he contemplated becoming a painter. Fortunately for us, he turned instead to composing for orchestra and finally focused on conducting Sweden’s famous men’s choir, Orphei Drängar, arguably the best such choir in the world, known affectionately as “O.D.” In his spare time, he somehow managed to publish his four-volume autobiography.

With a touch of the Romantic nostalgia so typical of the 1800s, Herman Sätherberg (1812-1897) describes the awe of witnessing the silence of a summer evening while the sun slowly sets over the ocean’s waves. In this work from 1942, the composer asks the choir to hum, softly imitating the descending triads of shepherds’ horns heard echoing in the distant picturesque hills of Sweden.

Skogen står tyst, himlen är klar. The forest is still, the sky is clear. Hör, huru tjusande vallhornet lullar. Hear how enchanting shepherds’ horns sing lullabies. Kvällsolens bloss sig stilla sänker The evening sun’s blush silently sinks, Ner uti den lugna, klara våg. Sinks down into the calm, clear waves. Ibland dälder, gröna kullar Among the valleys and green hills, Mångdubbelt eko kring nejden far . . . . The echo resounds near and far . . . .

Harman Sätherberg (1812-1897), trans. Nathan Leaf

14 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Finland Sydämeni laulu Jean Sibelius

Sibelius (1865-1957) is Finland’s most famous composer. In fact, some argue that his expressions of nationalism helped to develop Finland’s yearnings for a national cultural identity that was distinct from those of her powerful neighbours, Russia and Sweden. ‘Flag day’ in Finland is celebrated on the composer’s birthday.

This poem comes from the first significant novel written in the Finnish language, Aleksis Kivi’s (1834-1872) somewhat earthy Seitsemän veljestä (‘Seven Brothers’, pub. 1870). The singer’s lullaby tells of the happy existence which awaits the child in the mythical land of Tuoni. At the time, infant mortality was so high that songs like these filled a very real need. It is said that Sibelius played this song (in its 1898 version) by the bedside of his dear 18-month-old daughter Kirsti shortly before she died of typhoid (1900). Sibelius later arranged this peaceful lullaby for chorus (Op. 18, No. 6, 1904).

Tuonen lehto, öinen lehto, Grove of Tuoni (Death), nocturnal grove, Siell’ on hieno hietakehto, There is a fine, sandy cradle, Sinnepä lapseni saatan. There will I bring my child at last.

Siell’ on lapsen lysti olla, There the child can be care-free, Tuonen herran vainiolla In the fields of Tuoni's Lord, Kaitsia Tuonelan karjaa. Shepherding the cattle of Tuonela.

Siell’ on lapsen lysti olla, There the child can be care-free, Illan tullen tuuditella And by evening be cradled Helmassa Tuonelan immen. In the lap of the maiden of Tuonela.

Onpa kullan lysti olla, It is indeed a care-free place for my dear one to be, Kultakehdoss’ kellahdella, To lie down in a golden cradle, Kuullella kehräjälintuu. Listening to the song of the nightjar [bird].

Tuonen viita, rauhan viita! Forest of Tuoni, forest of peace! Kaukana on vaino, riita, Far away is persecution and dispute, Kaukana kavala mailma. Far away the treacherous world.

Aleksis Kivi (1834-1872, pub. 1870), trans. John Guarente, A Performance Guide to Select a cappella Works of Jean Sibelius Including Translations and Phonetic Transcriptions of Finnish Texts (DMA Thesis, University of Miami, 2014), pp. 55-58.

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 15 Läksin minä kesäyönä käymään Traditional Finnish Folksong, arr. Leevi Madetoja

Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947) grew up in Oulu, the largest city in Northern Finland. He studied music privately under Jean Sibelius and is often considered his successor. Gradually his symphonic works became known in Finland. His opera, The Ostrobothnians (for which he wrote much of the libretto) was a great success and is still in the Finnish National Opera’s repertoire. He eventually became President of the Finnish Composers’ League. In recognition of his contributions, the Finnish government gave him an artist’s pension for life.

We are singing the first of his three folksongs for solo voice and choir (Op. 57, No. 1) composed on April 21��, 1924. Madetoja composed some 120 compositions including four symphonies, two operas, a ballet, chamber music, songs, and works for choir.

[Dave Rosborough, soloist]

Läksin minä kesäyönä käymään On a summer night I went out walking Siihen laaksohon, kussa kuuntelin päivää, To a place where I lay and listened to the daybreak, Kussa lintuset laulaa, metsäkanatkin ne pauhaa, Where the blackbird was singing, and the lark on high was winging, Ja mun sydämeni etsii lepoa ja rauhaa. There I lay down to rest while all the world was ringing.

Katsoin minä alas vetten puoleen: By the water I saw a maiden, Näin rannalla tytön ihanan ja nuoren, As young and fair as the morning, Joka istui ja itki, katsoi aaltoja pitkin, By the shore she sat weeping, o’er the waves her gaze a-sweeping, Ja hän oli niin surullinen joka hetki. And the air was heavy now with sound of her lamenting.

16 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Metsä Alan Matheson

We are pleased to present three works by Alan Matheson, two of which are set to poems by his wife, Riina Tamm. Although she grew up in Canada, every time she returns to Estonia and Finland, she says she feels she is ‘home’. These poems were written in Estonian and then translated/paraphrased into Finnish by Anna-Maija Nibbelink. Matheson teaches music at Vancouver Community College, UBC, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music. He also works professionally as a jazz musician with his own ensembles as well as groups like the Jen Hodge All-Stars. Alan has also performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and his compositions have been played by Julia Nolan, Sal Ferreras and the late Clark Terry. Matheson regularly returns to Finland to teach at the Otava Jazz Camp and to perform with bassist Wade Mikkola at the Storyville Jazz Club.

Alan Matheson kindly dedicates Metsä and Vuodenajat to Paula Kremer and VCS.

Rantakallio loistaa The rock cliff glimmers Kesäyön ilta hämärässä In the summer twilight, Kataja transsii The juniper dances Tuulessa In the wind.

Paju kumartuu The willow bows Järven rannalla On the lakeshore. Lehti kiiltää Leaves sparkle Veden peilissä In the water’s mirror.

Metsäsää kasvaa kantarelli In the forest, chanterelles grow, Koivu, mänty ja kuusi, Fir, pine, and birch also. Kaikilla on koti The woods are home Metsässa. To everyone.

Riina Tamm, trans. into Finnish by Anna-Maija Nibbelink

Vuodenajat Alan Matheson

Talvi on rauhallinen, In winter, there’s silence. Kevät kukoistaa, In spring, there are blossoms. Kesä surisee Summer hums, Ja syksy tuo rauhan. And autumn brings peace.

Maapallo kiertää The earth keeps turning Edellämme, Ahead of us, Ei koskaan etsii seuraa. It never seeks a companion.

Riina Tamm, trans into Finnish by Anna-Maija Nibbelink

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 17 Butterfly Mia Makaroff (arr. Mia Makaroff and Anna-Mari Kähärä)

Mia Makaroff (born 1970) received her M.Mus.Ed. from the Sibelius Academy, studying how music therapy can help to prevent drug addiction in young people. Her music has been performed by Rajaton, Amarcord, and the King’s Singers. In addition to teaching and composing music for choirs and for plays, she also conducts the Hinthaara Mixed Choir and the Vivace Ladies Choir. Makaroff wrote the lyrics and music for “Butterfly” (2001) for the Finnish vocal group, Rajaton. One can easily imagine the unpredictable flutterings of butterflies while listening to the lightness of the upper voices singing Makaroff’s rhythms and snatches of melody.

[Sarah McGrath, soloist]

Sweet is the sound of my newborn wings. You will be my lullaby. I stretch them open and let them dry. Tomorrow I'll die, I haven't seen this world before Tomorrow I'll die, But I'm excused, I'm a butterfly. Be my lullaby.

Sweet is the touch of your newborn wings. Love me, kiss me with the breeze. We fly in circles, we play with the sun. Love me, love me on the leaves We haven't seen this world before, Before we say goodbye. So fair, so bright, so blue the sky. Sweet is the wind as it gently blows Love me, love me on the leaves The day away. And the nighttime comes. Before we say goodbye. Great are the wonders that silence shows. Love me, kiss me with the breeze, I fall asleep and I dream of the sun,

And my butterfly.

Mia Makaroff (2001)

El Hambo Jaakko Mäntyjärvi

Mäntyjärvi (born in Turku, Finland in 1963) studied languages, voice, music composition and choral conducting. He earns his living translating and spends other hours creating choral compositions and singing in various choirs. El Hambo recalls a Swedish dance in 3/4 time, but he says that he “expanded” it into 5/4 time as a “tribute to those folk musicians whose enthusiasm much exceeds their sense of rhythm”, making it “The Mother of All Hambos” or “The Hambo to End All Hambos”. He then writes the following about the ‘text’ of this song:

The text, such as it is, of El Hambo should be pronounced as Finnish, flavoured with amusing imitations of the vowel colours of any Scandinavian language except Danish . . . . Also, ‘r’ should always be pronounced as in American English or, to be strictly accurate, as in the Sipoo archipelago dialect of Swedish.

18 - SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES Mäntyjärvi, a professional translator, then continues:

To the best of my knowledge, the text of El Hambo does not and is not intended to mean anything, with the sole exception of the single word hambo, which is a Swedish folk dance. I will not accept any liability for any unintentional meanings of whatever nature in the text in whatever natural language of the world.

Thank You For The Music Goran Bror Benny Andersson and Björn K. Ulvaeus (arr. Oliver Gies) After the Swedish pop group ABBA (a name derived from the first letters of the four singers’ first names) included “Thank you for the music” in The Album (1977), it was also released as a single in several European countries, and six years later throughout all of Europe. Oliver Gies (born 1973) is a German singer, songwriter, arranger, choral director, studio producer, and radio personality. He co-founded MAYBEBOP, an a cappella German vocal group which performs many of his arrangements and compositions.

Toiset Meistä Rauno Lehtinen (arr. Alan Matheson)

Mikko Haljoki (1936-2015) was a Finnish journalist (Vikkosanom), freelance writer for television and magazines, and songwriter. Toiset Meistä (‘Some of us’) was written in 1968 and set to music by Rauno Lehtinen (1932-2006) for the Finnish singer Laila Kinnunen (who can still be heard singing it on YouTube). This choral arrangement from 2018 is based on a 2013 instrumental arrangement for the Alan Matheson septet.

[Alan Matheson, piano]

Niin ovat toiset meistä Some of us are like boats Laivoja jotka löytävät väylänsä yksin Who can find their way, on their own, Niin ovat toiset meistä laivoja Some of us are like boats Jotka poijulta poijulle käy That go from buoy to buoy Ja niin ovat monet meistä lokkeja So I thought for many years that in storms, Jotka ei ole mitään ilman valkeaa laivaa I could find my way alone, Sen turvaa sen tahtoa That’s when I was longing for a white boat Varmuutta ylitse mainingin That could take you across the sea.

Niin luulin monta vuotta And so many of us are like seagulls, Yksin vain kuohuissa väyläni löytää mä voisin Who are nothing without that white boat, Kaipasin silloin laivaa valkeaa With its shelter and will Joka viedä voi aaltojen taa And certainty over the sea and the waves.

Pertti “Pepe” Willberg (b. 1946), trans. Terrtu Rautiainen

SCANDINAVIAN TREASURES - 19 THANK YOU to all those who support us! Individuals (Current and last season) $3000 + Robert & Michele Michaleski $1000-2999 In memory of Gunnar Brosamler, Lesley & Gordon Finlay, Beth & Robert Helsley, Janice & J. Evan Kreider, Dalton Kremer, Paula Kremer, Paul Kreider, Jesse Read & Rapti Dietrich, Troy Topnik, Alan Woodland & Michelle Herrewynen

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