A very Swedish affair…
Folk music plays a very important role in Sweden. Wherever people meet and celebrate, you will be surrounded by music, singing and dancing. The Swedish composer Mårten Jansson is deeply rooted in this tradition which inspired him to compose the “Missa Popularis”. This mass, either for female voices or mixed voices and string quartet, combines the Latin mass text with characteristic dance rhythms and melodies in Swedish folk-style.
This exciting compositional project has turned out to be quite a success story and here’s the proof of the pudding with a selection of the many performances:
The world premiere took place in Poznan (Poland) on 25 April 2015 sung by the Skowronki Girls Choir under the baton of Alicja Szeluga. They then performed the “Gloria” in the US at the prestigious Carnegie Hall and other venues.
The German premiere will take place on 15 May as part of the Pentecost Mass in Cologne Cathedral with the Girls’ Choir at the Cologne Cathedral conducted by Oliver Sperling, followed in quick succession by the UK premiere in London on 21 May sung by Chantage under the direction of James Davey. And you won’t have to wait too long for the Swedish premiere either – this will be on 4 June in Linköping with the Linköpings Damkör conducted by Hans Lundgren.
Not too bad for a composition that was finished on 12 January 2015!
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You can hear Skowronki’s first performance of the mass on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uul5wVk8_3Q&index=7&list=PLh-AUh-Pv3D4402xWPQ10IYfw9MpttScD
