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7320470227503.Pdf IT WAS ONLY TEMPORARY… It was the spring of 2001 when I was asked to great joy and deep satisfaction. Being grant- fill in as choral director for a tour to Japan with ed the confidence to gather voices in order to the Svanholm Singers. Had I known this would create music in a context where one and all lead to 17 years with the same choir, I might are there of their own free will, because they even have said no. As intimidating as such a want to, that is – and has been – a great honour. prospect would seem, it was also impossible When it comes to the repertoire for men’s to fathom how much the Svanholm Singers choirs, there isn’t a whole lot to choose from would come to mean to me. - there simply haven’t been as many men’s It’s been 17 years filled with rehearsals, con- choirs around and not as much music has certs, tours, recording sessions and competi- been created with them in mind. tions. Roughly estimating, I’ve spent nearly a In the mid- to late 1800s, there was a golden year’s worth of time in transit with the mem- age for men’s choirs in Sweden by way of our bers of the choir – we’ve appeared in Sweden, universities, which means that most of our Denmark, the Faeroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, country’s repertoire originated during that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, England, Germa- period. It is certainly an interesting challenge ny, France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, the for artistic directors to establish a repertoire Czech Republic, Poland, Japan, Taiwan and that is timely, moving, and that deals with China. Over the years, 90 or so individuals issues that are important to us today. have passed through the choir; contributing Over the years, I’ve composed a great deal their time, being generous with their voices of our material, but we’ve also had commis- and musicality, and so open to sharing their sioned pieces. This disc includes a selection thoughts and feelings with each other as well. of these works created with our choir in mind, There have been moments of stress, jangled the Svanholm Singers Exclusive. nerves, and anger, but many more occasions of Sofia Söderberg BADHUSINTRO (WATER PARK INTRO) TWO SWEDISH FOLK TUNES: LIMU LIMU LIMA & HÅRGALÅTEN In 2013, the Högevallsbadet water park in Swedish folk tunes are a well-established ficed to the sun god. The original lyrics were Lund was extensively remodelled and the feature of the vocal repertoire of amateurs ”Låva låva lin, Gudt ladt sole skinn” (Roughly: Svanholm Singers were asked to perform and professionals alike. They are also dear “Prepare the flax for linen, God let the sun at the reopening event. The venue was the to the Svanholm Singers. Many four-part ar- shine”), but when this no longer made sense, swimming pool area, which was a novel expe- rangements, all in the flowing yet still rather the words were changed, and the song lived on rience for us and I wanted to make use of its set style of the day, date back to this period in a new context. This arrangement of mine for potential. I stood at one end of the pool, and from around 1850 through Hugo Alfvén’s con- the Svanholm Singers in 2011 was published by the singers were positioned on or between the siderable 20th-century production. Bo Ejeby förlag. starting blocks at the opposite end. A soloist Personally, I find folk tunes very moving, was perched up on the high dive. I opened there’s something natural about the melodies HÅRGALÅTEN out with some traditional Swedish “kulning”, and they have things to say about our history. which also gave the choir their notes. After In addition, since they are the product of not A dance was held in Hårga. An unfamiliar singing this intro, they all dived into the pool in merely a single hand, but stem from many musician with burning eyes under a large dark a synchronized fashion. The soloist on the high hearts, they are an expression of collectivism hat stepped out of the shadows and began dive took over and the number was rounded at its best. playing hypnotic tunes. Soon, everyone was off by the choir serenading as they were I have arranged many for choral groups, dancing except one girl, who tried to stop the floating in the water. moving away from the traditional four-part others, but once you had joined in, it was im- This intro has been adapted to suit other harmonies throughout and adding contrasting possible to stop. At dawn, the fiddler left, and contexts as well. The version on this CD has rhythmic elements, which is also central to all a long line of dancers followed in his wake as an interlude that wasn’t in the original, which kinds of folk music. the church bells rang for Sunday service. Only is often used as an underscore with an initial one girl remained, the one who had noticed spoken portion. LIMU LIMU LIMA that the fiddler had cloven hooves instead of feet. The wild dancing continued until all that Sofia Söderberg “Limu limu lima” was recorded in Älvdalen in remained of the dancers were their skeletons. the mid-1800s. The origin of the melody and Some claim that if you venture out to Mount the lyrics are unknown. Some theories say Hårga when the moon is full, the devil’s music though the song was sung during the middle still echoes out over the countryside. ages as a prayer to the Mother Mary, it dates back to pagan times, when flax was sacri- Sofia Söderberg SERENAD In Sweden, men’s choirs have strong ties to When I joined the Svanholm Singers as a reg- the Universities. It’s hardly a coincidence that ular choral director in 2001, I was determined the Svanholm Singers originated in Lund, one to not follow in the footsteps of the traditional of our oldest university towns. male university choirs – I wished to do some- My own relationship with men’s choirs de- thing new and different. veloped at an early age. I was born and raised All new ensembles face certain challenges in Lund. My maternal grandfather accompa- on the way to getting established, but they nied the Lund University Male Voice Choir on have the advantage of not being pressured to piano, and songs from their repertoire were maintain any particular traditions. In spite of often sung at my grandparents’ parties. wanting to explore other routes, the traditional For 30 years, my mother presented the choir songs are close to my heart, and in 2015, I in- when they officially heralded spring on the troduced a few adaptations and new interpre- steps of Lund University every May 1st, con- tations of certain classic songs. We performed certs that were broadcast on radio and TV. On them as a tribute to the returning of the light one such occasion, my mother was pregnant at our spring concert that same year. One AMAZING GRACE / AKATONBO with me – so I can literally say that I was born such adaptation is “Serenad”, by Jacob Axel into the world of men’s choirs. Josephsson (1818–1880). The Svanholm Singers have toured Japan six floors in houses with rice-paper walls, and This May Day repertoire is always the same. Sofia Söderberg times. The first tour, to Takarazuka for a com- enjoyed culinary delicacies. And quite a petition in 1999, was so enjoyable that the bonding experience it was too for the choir. choir made sure they could return two years In 2013, we were invited yet again. On Minon’s, later. This second tour was my first, and we our agent’s, wish list of Western highlights made contact with an agent who helped us was “Amazing Grace”, and the idea arose to arrange three professional tours over the arrange it along with the beloved Japanese course of three years. In total, we spent 12 tune “Akatonbo”. This arrangement has come weeks in Japan and held concerts through- to represent our gratitude for our many tours out the country, from Sapporo to the north, to to Japan along with our great fondness for the Okinawa to the south. We had sold-out perfor- country and for the wonderful encounters we mances at fantastic venues, met wonderful have had. people and saw amazingly beautiful places. Sofia Söderberg We bathed in hot springs, slept on bamboo PEACE IT IS SO PEACEFUL HERE NOW In 2008, I was honoured to be commissioned I decided to base my new piece on this tune In my early 20s, I had an encounter with an into a clear, dark vision, which felt more and to compose original music for the World and arranged it for a men’s choir singing in unknown presence, an apparition shaped more compelling and urgent the further I de- Symposium on Choral Music, which was to parts. There are two verses, and I sandwiched a like a human that slowly moved throughout voted myself to the task. be held in Copenhagen. I explored if it were contrasting interlude in-between them: Wilfred my room. It was an old attic, and the visitor When I wrote the lyrics, I tried to do it in a possible to submit a piece for a men’s choir Owen’s “The Next War”, a sharply satirical poem seemed familiar with it and appeared to timeless style, as if the words had been tran- and the musical director of the festival, Steen about war that ends with a breath of hope for examine my belongings.
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