The Secret Songs - the EC opera about HC Andersen and Jenny Lind - performance in Lund, Sweden on oct 2nd 2019

Pretty self-explanatory
Post Reply
User avatar
krm
Posts: 1141
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:10 am
Location: Sweden Skåne

The Secret Songs - the EC opera about HC Andersen and Jenny Lind - performance in Lund, Sweden on oct 2nd 2019

Post by krm »

There will be a performance of this on oct 2nd in Lund, Sweden with original performer Gisela Stille.

Tickets here: https://www.maglekonserthus.se/Events/E ... ontationer

A nice surprise that I found out about yesterday.
SecretSongs.jpg
SecretSongs.jpg (70.24 KiB) Viewed 9087 times
Last edited by krm on Sat Dec 07, 2019 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
krm
Posts: 1141
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:10 am
Location: Sweden Skåne

Re: The Secret Songs - the EC opera about HC Andersen and Jenny Lind

Post by krm »

and here is the introduction in its original form:

Secret songs

Kärlekens Konfrontationer
Secret Songs -- musik o. text Elvis Costello, Verklärte Nacht - musik Arnold Schönberg
Magle konserthus, onsd 2 okt kl. 19.00
HC Andersen led av en obesvarad kärlek till Jenny Lind, detta allmänmänskliga lilla drama föranledde Elvis Costello att börja skriva på en kammaropera, direkt tillägnad sopranen Gisela Stille. Den blev aldrig helt klar, men nu rekonstruerar Magle Konserthus de delar som finns till en liten miniopera för sopran, rocksångare och en stråksextett. Gisela Stille gör Jenny Linds parti och Fredrik Savbrant HC Andersens. Stråkmusikerna kommer från Lunds Kammarsolister och de framför också Schönbergs Verklärte Nacht som inspirerats av dikt som handlar om nattligt kärleksmöte där ångestladdade förtroligheter utbyts.

and for the international audience a googletranslate version follows here:

Secret songs

the confrontations of love
Secret Songs - music and text Elvis Costello, Declared Night - music Arnold Schönberg
Magle Concert Hall, Wed 2 Oct at. 19:00
HC Andersen suffered from an unrequited love for Jenny Lind, this general human drama caused Elvis Costello to start writing on a chamber opera, directly dedicated to soprano Gisela Stille. It was never fully completed, but now Magle Konserthus is reconstructing the parts available for a small mini-opera for soprano, rock singer and a string sextet. Gisela Stille makes Jenny Lind's party and Fredrik Savbrant HC Andersens. The string musicians come from Lund's Chamber Soloists and they also perform Schönberg's Verklärte Nacht, which is inspired by poems that are about a nightly love meeting where anxiety-charged confidences are exchanged.
User avatar
krm
Posts: 1141
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:10 am
Location: Sweden Skåne

Re: The Secret Songs - the EC opera about HC Andersen and Jenny Lind

Post by krm »

Long due: follow up of the evening in Lund where parts of the Secret Songs and the Juliet Letters were performed. Gisela Stille was performing w EC during the "original performance" of Secret Songs - http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... cret_Songs - a nice evening in a very small concert room.
The program of the evening:
SecretSongs_a.jpg
SecretSongs_a.jpg (77.96 KiB) Viewed 8611 times
SecretSongs_b.jpg
SecretSongs_b.jpg (103.39 KiB) Viewed 8611 times
Secret songs
- kärlekens konfrontationer

Secret Songs — musik o. text Elvis Costello

Verklärte Nacht - musik Arnold Schönberg

Magle konserthus, onsd 2 okt kl. 19.00

Secret Songs är titeln på en opera som aldrig blev färdig. Under arbetet med att skriva den fick Elvis Costello tvillingar, och tiden upptogs av annat. Kvar finns ett utkast som vittnar om att resultatet snarare hade blivit en musical i stället för en opera, men de sånger som framförs ikväll har en tydlig uppdelning i sina karaktärer - operasången och rockballaden. Operapartierna är direkt skrivna för Gisela Stille, medan det var tänkt att Elvis skulle vara hennes motpart.
Dessa sånger utgör egentligen bara en liten del av den ursprungligt tänkta mängden, i en rätt så snårig handling som utspelar sig både i USA, Danmark och England, såväl i H.C. Andersens arbetskammare som P.T. Barnums cirkus eller hamnen i Liverpool. Kanske var det ingen tillfällighet att det är de fyra sånger som ni hör ikväll som blev färdiga — de utgör i sig en liten miniopera. En opera om kärlekens svåra villkor, hur att bemöta ge och bemöta inviter med värdigheten i behåll.
Det är allmänt känt att H.C. Andersen ofta förklarade Jenny Lind sin kärlek men att hon alltid avböjde hans propåer, men strävade efter att behålla vänskapen. Elvis Costello har tillåtit sig att fantisera över hur deras närmanden kan ha tagit sig uttryck och hur de har reflekterat över situationen — därav namnet Hemliga sånger. Vi vet väldigt lite om deras gemensamma förehavanden, men texterna alluderar på många kända fakta från deras respektive livsöden.

Vi har låtit Tobias Broström arrangera sångerna för en stråkensemble utifrån Steve Naivs (Costellos trogne pianist) klaverutdrag. Stråkensemblen avslutar programmet, utan paus, med att framföra Verklärte Nacht, som också handlar om hemligheter som påverkar kärleken.

Program

Deliver us (stråkkvartettsats från Costellos Juliet Letters)
How deep Is the red
Dead letter (stråkkvartettsats från Juliet letters)
The misfit
She handed me a mIrror
He has forgotten me completely
Verklärte Nacht

Gisela Stille, kommer ursprungligen från Värnamo, men studerade i Lund innan hon bestämde sig för att satsa på sångarkarriären. Hon tillhör den fasta solistensemblen på Det Kongelige Teater i Köpenhamn, och har gjort många ledande roller där. Hon har också haft stora roller på Malmö Opera och ofta framträtt med Malmö SymfoniOrkester.
Fredrik Savbrant, kommer ursprungligen från Kvilisfors utanför Vetlanda. Som son till kantorn i byn var det naturligt att sjunga i kören. Musikintresset ledde vidare till Fridhems folkhögskola och sedan musiklärarexamen på Musikhögskolan i Malmö. Parallellt med musiklärarvärvet har han medverkat som trummis, keybordist och sångare med artister som Mikael Rickfors, Dan Hylander m.fl.
Lunds Kammarsolister — LuKaS, är en fristående ensemble bestående av professionella stråkmusiker från Skåneregionen och Danmark, men med Lund som hemstad. Ensemblen har som mål att vidga sina musikaliska och geografiska vyer och ta med sin publik på en spännande resa genom känt och okänt, nyskapande och traditionellt, utmanande och rogivande.
Lennart Stenkvist, som gör en kortare presentation är producent på Magle Konserthus.
User avatar
krm
Posts: 1141
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:10 am
Location: Sweden Skåne

Re: The Secret Songs - the EC opera about HC Andersen and Jenny Lind

Post by krm »

...and for our international readers, here is the translated version of the program text

Secret songs
- the confrontations of love

Secret Songs - music and text Elvis Costello

Declared Night - music Arnold Schönberg

Magle Concert Hall, Wed, Oct 2, 2 p.m. 19:00

Secret Songs is the title of an opera that was never completed. During the process of writing it, Elvis Costello got twins, and time was occupied by other things. There is still a draft that testifies that the result would rather have been a musical instead of an opera, but the songs performed tonight have a clear division into their characters - the opera song and the rock ballad. The opera parties are written directly for Gisela Stille, while it was thought that Elvis would be her counterpart.
These songs really make up only a small part of the original intended volume, in a rather tedious act that takes place both in the United States, Denmark and England, as well as in H.C. Andersen's working chamber as P.T. Barnum's circus or the port of Liverpool. Perhaps it was no coincidence that it is the four songs that you hear tonight that were completed - they constitute in themselves a small mini-opera. An opera about the difficult conditions of love, how to respond to give and to respond to invitations with dignity in retention.
It is well known that H.C. Andersen often explained Jenny Lind's love but that she always declined his proposals, but strived to keep the friendship. Elvis Costello has allowed himself to fantasize about how their approach may have expressed and how they have reflected on the situation - hence the name Secret Songs. We know very little about their common occurrences, but the texts allude to many known facts from their respective lives.

We have let Tobias Broström arrange the songs for a string ensemble based on Steve Naiv's (Costello's faithful pianist) piano extracts. The string ensemble ends the program, without a break, by performing Declared Night, which also deals with secrets that affect love.

Program

Deliver us (string quartet set from Costello's Juliet Letters)
How deep is the red
Dead letter (string quartet set from Juliet letters)
The misfit
She handed me a mIrror
He has completely forgotten me
Declared night

Gisela Stille, originally from Värnamo, but studied in Lund before deciding to invest in the singing career. She is part of the permanent soloist ensemble at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen, and has performed many leading roles there. She has also played major roles at Malmö Opera and has often performed with Malmö Symphony Orchestra.
Fredrik Savbrant, originally from Kvilisfors outside Vetlanda. As a son to the village office, it was natural to sing in the choir. The interest in music led to Fridhems folk high school and then a music teacher degree at the Music University in Malmö. In parallel with the music teacher profession, he has participated as a drummer, keybordist and singer with artists such as Mikael Rickfors, Dan Hylander and others.
Lund's Chamber Soloists - LuKaS, is an independent ensemble consisting of professional string musicians from the Skåne region and Denmark, but with Lund as its hometown. The ensemble aims to broaden its musical and geographical views and take its audience on an exciting journey through known and unknown, innovative and traditional, challenging and soothing.
Lennart Stenkvist, who makes a short presentation is a producer at Magle Konserthus.
User avatar
krm
Posts: 1141
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:10 am
Location: Sweden Skåne

Re: The Secret Songs - the EC opera about HC Andersen and Jenny Lind - performance in Lund, Sweden on oct 2nd 2019

Post by krm »

DSC_3038.JPG
DSC_3038.JPG (180.64 KiB) Viewed 8607 times
DSC_3040.JPG
DSC_3040.JPG (190.33 KiB) Viewed 8607 times
sulky lad
Posts: 2427
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:21 pm
Location: Out of the kitchen,she's gone with the wind

Re: The Secret Songs - the EC opera about HC Andersen and Jenny Lind - performance in Lund, Sweden on oct 2nd 2019

Post by sulky lad »

Great stuff, KRM , really interesting how much people from different artistic disciplines fully appreciate some of what we consider Elvis' sidesteps
Post Reply