Orchestral Songs On poems by Emily Dickinson Lisa Larsson

Swedish soprano Lisa Larsson started her career as a flautist and later studied singing in Basel. Her first engagement was at the Zürich Opera House, where she performed with conductors such as and Franz Welser-Möst.

Following her debut at La Scala in Milan in “The Magic Flute” under Riccardo Muti, she swiftly developed her international opera career, in particular as a Mozart singer. She accepted guest appearances at renowned European opera houses including the Bavarian State Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro La Fenice, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opéra de Monte Carlo as well as at the Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, Glyndebourne Festival and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

Lisa Larsson is also known as a remarkably versatile concert singer. In recent years she has constantly expanded her broad repertoire with works by Mahler, Richard Strauss, Brahms, Berlioz, Britten and Stravinsky. Conductors she has performed with include , Sir Colin Davis, David Zinman, Vassily Sinaisky, Edo de Waart, , Louis Langrée, Sir Roger Norrington. This with orchestras such as the Berlin PO, Frankfurt Radio SO, Munich PO, Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, Vienna SO, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Netherlands PO, Hong Kong PO, NHK SO (Tokyo).

This season sees two recent major additions to her substantial discography: a Haydn album with the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam followed by a Berlioz programme with the Arnhem PO, both released by Challenge Classics. Previous recordings include Strauss’ “Vier letzte Lieder” under Douglas Boyd, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 under David Zinman, the Mozart operas “Don Giovanni” under Daniel Harding, “Mitridate” under Adam Fischer and “Il sogno di Scipione” under Gottfried von der Goltz, Händel‘s “Jephta” under David Stern, numerous Cantatas, Magnificat as well as the Christmas and Easter Oratories by Bach under respectively Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Lisa Larsson maintains close collaboration with the Swedish composer Rolf Martinsson, who has dedicated several compositions to her. www.lisalarsson.info Rolf Martinsson

Rolf Martinsson is one of ’s leading composers. His trumpet concerto “Bridge”, written for Håkan Hardenberger, led to an international breakthrough and “Bridge” has to date been performed more than 60 times worldwide. Most recent, Martinsson’s music has been performed by soloists such as Lisa Larsson, Anne Sofie von Otter, Martin Fröst, Christian Lindberg and Edicson Ruiz and conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Andris Nelsons, Edward Gardner, Manfred Honeck, Vassily Sinaisky, John Storgårds, Andrew Manze and Neeme Järvi. Martinsson collaborates with all major Nordic orchestras as well as for example the BBC SO, City of Birmingham SO, Vienna Radio Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Sinfonieorchester, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit SO and Youth Orchestra of Caracas in venues such as Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, Concertgebouw, Salzburger Festspielhaus, Royal Festival Hall and Carnegie Hall.

As of today, Rolf Martinsson has composed some 130 works, including orchestral pieces, solo concertos and pieces for solo-voice and various ensembles, some of which dedicated to soprano Lisa Larsson.

In the next years to come, Rolf Martinsson will be Composer in Residence with the Netherlands PO as well as Helsingborg SO. His highly acclaimed trumpet concerto will be performed at the Tanglewood Festival by Hardenberger and the Boston SO, under Nelsons. Other highlights include two world premieres of compositions dedicated to and performed by Lisa Larsson. One of these compositions is co-commissioned by the Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Netherlands PO, Helsinki PO and Gothenburg SO and the other a work for soprano and string orchestra, co-commissioned by Scottish CO, Stuttgart CO along with the Swedish CO and other major Swedish orchestras. In 2017 Martinsson’s highly awaited opera will be premiered at the Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm.

Rolf Martinsson is a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and also serves as professor of composition at the Malmö Academy of Music, Sweden. www.rolfmartinsson.com Reviews

“...This is the way it should sound!...the soprano Lisa Larsson in an excellent performance of the songs. In burning red and with exquisite technique she gave excellent interpretations to the poetical impressionisms by the American poetress Emily Dickinson...in refined orchestration and with a smell of West End as well as Ravel...” by Leif A Jansson, Jönköpingsposten

“...Tremendous, beautiful, original!...this high version is perfect to the themes of the cycle of poems: love, nature and life. Lisa Larsson brings to life the seemingly simple but truly existential content with lyrical clarity and spiritual warmth. She is in perfect command of her voice, also in the deep register...” by Birgit Ahlberg-Hyse, Västmanlands Läns Tidning

Work Note

Emily Dickinson’s short, subtle and precise descriptions of brief moments fascinate me; the dawn that gradually covers the lawn with darkness, the carefree flight of the bumble bee in the summer breeze, the imperceptible change from summer to late summer or an intense meeting symbolized by the sparks of a cloven flint. The fact that the short poems often focus on one specific feeling or mood has inspired me to compose Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson as a suite of short movements, one for each character.

The movements are divided into three larger parts: Songs of Love, Songs of Nature and Songs of Life. In spite of the large number of instruments I’ve used a transparent instrumentation, focusing on details rather than tutti sections. Vibraphone, celesta and glockenspiel have got prominent roles and I have used a broad instrumental palette of colours in order to reflect all the poetical tints and shades of the lyrics. The aphoristic poems have clearly set their marks on musical form and instrumentation.

I have tried to reflect the “music” of the poems, as I perceive it. My aim has been to uncover their inherent music rather than forcing on them a specific musical style. This intuitive approach to creating music has characterized my works for some years now. Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson celebrates the lyric and intimate musical expression, and Lisa Larsson’s wonderful singing art has inspired me immensely during my work with the high version.

Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson is commissioned by Malmö Symphony Orchestra and dedicated to Lisa Larsson and in May 2015 the songs will be recorded by her at the BIS label with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Performances

– by Lisa Larsson – Orchestral Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson

2012-01-21 World premiere of the high version Västerås and Jönköping Sinfonietta / Hannu Koivula Concert Hall, Västerås, Sweden

2012-01-22 Västerås and Jönköping Sinfonietta / Hannu Koivula Kulturhuset Spira, Jönköping, Sweden

2013-02-02 Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra / Andrew Manze Concert Hall, Helsingborg, Sweden

2013-05-16 Norrköping Symphony Orchestra / Stefan Solyom DeGeer Hall, Norrköping, Sweden

2014-02-06 Malmö Symphony Orchestra / Marc Soustrot Concert Hall, Malmö, Sweden

2014-05-19 German premiere Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen / Ola Rudner Concert Hall, Reutlingen, Germany

2015-04-12 Staatskapelle Weimar / Stefan Solyom Weimar, Germany

2015-04-13 Staatskapelle Weimar / Stefan Solyom Weimar, Germany

2015-05-21 NorrlandsOperan Symphony Orchestra / Rumon Gamba NorrlandsOperan, Umeå, Sweden

2015-05-25/26 Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra Concert Hall, Stockholm Sweden CD recording, BIS Poems by Emily Dickinson

1. We Met as Sparks 4. Nature We met as Sparks - Diverging Flints ”Nature” is what We see - Sent various - scattered ways - The Hill - the Afternoon - We parted as the Central Flint Squirrel - Eclipse - the Bumble bee - Were cloven with an Adze - Nay - Nature is Heaven - Subsisting on the Light We bore ”Nature” is what We hear - Before We felt the Dark - The Bobolink - the Sea - We knew by chance between itself Thunder - the Cricket - And that etherial Spark. Nay - Nature is Harmony - ”Nature” is what We know - But have no Art to say - 2 . What I See Not So impotent our Wisdom is To Her Sincerity - What I see not, I better see - Through Faith - My Hazel Eye Has periods of shutting - But, No lid has Memory - 5. As Imperceptibly as Grief For frequent, all my sense obscured As imperceptibly as Grief I equally behold The Summer lapsed away - As some one held a light unto Too imperceptible at last The Features so beloved - To seem like Perfidy - And I arise - and in my Dream - A Quietness distilled Do Thee distinguished Grace - As Twilight long begun, Till jealous Daylight interrupt - Or Nature spending with herself And mar thy perfectness - Sequestered Afternoon - The Dusk drew earlier in - The Morning foreign shone - 3. If You Were Coming in the Fall A courteous, yet harrowing Grace, As Guest, that would be gone - If you were coming in the Fall, I’d brush the Summer by And thus, without a Wing With half a smile, and half a spurn, Or service of a Keel As Housewives do, a Fly. Our summer made her light escape Into the Beautiful - If I could see you in a year, I’d wind the months in balls - And put them each in separate Drawers, For fear the numbers fuse - If only Centuries, delayed, I’d count them on my Hand, Subtracting, till my fingers dropped Into Van Diemen’s Land. If certain, when this life was out - That yours and mine, should be - I’d toss it yonder, like a Rind, And take Eternity - But, now, uncertain of the length Of this, that is between, It goads me, like the Goblin Bee - That will not state - its sting. 6. A Soft Sea 9. Split the Lark A soft Sea washed around the House Split the Lark - and you’ll find the Music - A Sea of Summer Air Bulb after Bulb, in Silver rolled - And rose and fell the magic Planks Scantily dealt to the Summer Morning That sailed without a care - Saved for your Ear, when Lutes be old - For Captain was the Butterfly Loose the Flood - you shall find it patent - For Helmsman was the Bee Gush after Gush, reserved for you - And an entire universe Scarlet Experiment! Sceptic Thomas! For the delighted Crew - Now do you doubt that your bird was true?

7. If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking 10. Fame Is a Bee If I can stop one Heart from breaking Fame is a bee. I shall not live in vain It has a song - If I can ease one Life the Aching It has a sting - Or cool one Pain Ah, too, it has a wing. Or help one fainting Robin Unto his nest again I shall not live in vain.

8. Presentiment Presentiment - is that long shadow - on the Lawn - Indicative that Suns go down -

The notice to the startled Grass That Darkness - is about to pass - Instrumentation

2 Flutes (1st doubling Piccolo, 2nd doubling Alto Flute) 2 Oboes (2nd doubling English Horn) 2 Clarinets in Bb (2nd doubling Bass Clarinet in Bb) 2 Bassoons (2nd doubling Contrabassoon) 4 Horns in F 2 Trumpets in C Trombone Bass Trombone Timpani Percussion I. Vibraphone II. Glockenspiel, Crotales, Suspended Cymbal Harp Piano (doubling Celesta) Soprano

String Orchestra

Duration 26 minutes YouTube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J4JyK6rzqQ

Soprano Composer Lisa Larsson Rolf Martinsson [email protected] [email protected] www.lisalarsson.info www.rolfmartinsson.com

Agency Publisher Impulse Art Management Gehrmans Musikförlag Martijn Jacobus Kristina Fryklöf, promotion manager +31 20 626 69 44 +46 8 6100 617 [email protected] [email protected] www.gehrmans.se

Photo Merlijn Doomernik Larsson

Photo Mats Bäcker Martinsson

Design & Layout www.louisemartinsson.se 2014-01