The Swedish Radio Choir
Thirty two professional singers together form the Swedish Radio Choir - since the 1960s recognised as a world-leading a capella choir, often engaged by orchestral conductors such as Claudio Abbado and Riccardo Muti for concerts, tours and recordings.
The development began in 1952 when Eric Ericson became principal conductor of the choir. Sweden had a number of composers with new ideas who found a vehicle for their visions in the Swedish Radio Choir.
Anders Öhrwall took over as principal conductor in the 1980s, introducing a new repertoire in which the focus was on baroque music. The choir also started working with Riccardo Muti in the 1980s, a collaboration that resulted in a couple of acclaimed recordings and several concerts.
During Gustaf Sjökvist's tenure, the work with new music continued. The choir received more commitments abroad, establishing extensive collaborations in particular with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Claudio Abbado.
When the Estonian conductor Tõnu Kaljuste became the first non-Swedish principal conductor, the repertoire extended towards the east. The choir now encountered old, Russian composers and a repertoire of new music by composers such as Arvo Pärt, Alfred Schnittke and Krzysztof Penderecki.
Stefan Parkman's was the the choir's principal conductor for three seasons. He continued to cultivate and maintained the long tradition of the Swedish Radio Choir. As the choir now opens its 80th concert season, it has managed not just to keep but to further establish its position as a world-leading ensemble. Now the Swedish Radio Choir continues with two guest conductors: Tõnu Kaljuste and Peter Dijkstra.
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Requiem Aeternam Kyrie Dies Irae Tuba Mirum Rex remedae Recordare Lacrimosa Domine Jesu Christe Hostias Sanctus Benedictus Agnus Dei Credo Requiem Aeternam Henryk Gorecki: Miserere |
This uniquely named work has moments of wondrous luminosity, particularly in its second and fourth movements. The second, which has a hypnotic slow lilt to it, even evokes the sensuality of the Poulenc Gloria (closing section), a most unlikely kinship. There are many inspiring moments and many memorable textures, and any worries the composer may have had about Western performers’ response to this music would have been quickly dispelled by Tõnu Kaljuste and the outstanding Swedish Radio Choir. Their technical assurance is so great that one can easily admire their powerful identification with the music, while Kaljuste clearly has a superb ear for texture, balancing convincingly Schnittke’s often densely complex choral writing. The wordless Voices of Nature is a short relatively simple work for ten women’s voices and vibraphone. Its coolness, however, makes a welcome foil to the intensity of the Concerto. Then follow three works by Estonian Arvo Pärt, and many listeners may experience some surprise at the cheerful, almost humorous nature of Dopo la Vittoria. The title means After the Victory, the text telling the story of how Ambrose, Bishop of Milan in the 4th century, composed the hymn Te Deum and sang it with St. Augustine when baptising him. It is a blithe work, with a wonderfully solemn ‘Amen’ just near the end, before the good-humoured music returns to round the work off.
| 8649 CD $15.95 |
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Requiem Aeternam Kyrie Dies Irae Tuba Mirum Rex remedae Recordare Lacrimosa Domine Jesu Christe Hostias Sanctus Benedictus Agnus Dei Credo Requiem Aeternam Henryk Gorecki: Miserere |
Review pending
| 7098 CD $15.98 |
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