Börtz and Mozart

Program

Benjamin Staern: The Eternal, 11 min

Daniel Börtz: Double Concerto for One, 25 min

I. I
II. II
III. III

30-minute break

Nina Šenk: *Impulses*, 7 min

W. A. Mozart: Symphony No. 39, 29 min

I. Adagio – Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Menuetto: Allegretto
IV. Allegro

More about the concert

DOUBLE FEATURE IN SWEDISH MUSIC

World premiere of Benjamin Stearns’ *Det Eviga* (The Eternal), inspired by Tegnér’s poem of the same name. Plus, breathtaking violin artistry by Malmö native Daniel Börtz. All under the baton of the highly sought-after Simon Crawford-Philips, with Malin Broman as the evening’s violin and viola soloist.

The world premiere of Benjamin Staern’s orchestral piece The Eternal, Commissioned by the Norrlands Opera, this exuberant concert opens with a focus on Swedish music. Staern, whom many will recognize from the TV show Counterpoint, has become famous for his hypnotic soundscapes. His music is as unpredictable as it is instantly recognizable. Perhaps this is due to his color-coded way of experiencing music. In several interviews, he has described how colors make him hear notes and how different pitches, in turn, signal a color to his inner self. The adjective “timbre,” commonly used in music criticism, thus takes on an almost literal meaning in Stearn’s work.

*Det Eviga* is a symphonic work commissioned by the Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra, in which music and poetry come together in a sonic reflection on the passage of time and the enduring aspects of existence. Inspired by Esaias Tegnér’s poem *Det Eviga*, the music embodies its central themes—transience, change, and the eternal things that transcend all human decay. Art, music, the spirit. The work is dedicated to the memory of conductor and composer Leif Segerstam, one of the Nordic region’s most distinctive musical figures. Through *Det Eviga*, Staern says in an interview, he sought to create a tribute that looks not only backward but also forward—a sonic meditation on the immortality of art.

Following the premiere of The Eternal it takes on an even more Swedish character. This time, it’s the soon-to-be 83-year-old Daniel Börtz. The Malmö native is known for his musical integrity, his artistic, open-minded approach, and his often poignant musical language in the true spirit of Bruckner. This evening, we’ll hear his Double Concert for One, written specifically for Malin Broman. The concerto is structured so that it alternates between the violin and the viola from movement to movement. The viola takes the lead in the outer movements, while the violin dominates the middle movement. In interviews, Börtz explains how Broman, through her skillful and expressive playing, inspired him to write the piece. He finally had the opportunity to write a piece for two instruments he truly loves—two that he describes as “fantastic sources of sound.” “Double Concerto for One ” is a melodious and dramatic piece of music that does not shy away from its inherent showmanship but, as always with Börtz, retains its artistry.

After the intermission, the program features a short orchestral piece, *Impulses* (2018), composed by Slovenian composer Nina Šenk, who is renowned for her poetically evocative musical language and playful nods to music history. She has received several awards and been praised for her ability to experiment with the orchestra’s tonal palette and create innovative soundscapes.

The evening concludes, fittingly enough, with one of the great symphonies of the Western musical tradition: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 30, under Crawford-Phillips’s dynamic direction. Mozart’s Symphony in E-flat major is the first of his three famous late symphonies, all composed in the summer of 1788—not long before his all-too-early death in December 1791. Mozart was suffering from a series of personal problems; his finances were meager, and his debts were piling up. However, none of this is evident in Symphony No. 30, a bright and lyrical symphony. The oboes have been omitted from the score in favor of the clarinets, which explains the slightly higher-pitched sound. And so the program concludes with Mozart’s lively, summery symphony—something to let your mind wander to amid the darkness of January.

More about the commissioned work *The Eternal*

Benjamin Staern found inspiration for *Det Eviga* in Esaias Tegnér’s poem of the same title. Esaias Tegnér lived from 1782 to 1846, and the poem *Det Eviga* was written in 1810.

The Eternal

The mighty one shapes his world with his sword,

and his fame soars like eagles;

but someday that wandering sword will be broken,

and the eagles fall from the sky.

Whatever violence may create is precarious and fleeting;

it dies away like a storm wind in the desert.

But the truth lives on. Amid axes and swords,

she stands serene, her brow radiant.

She guides us through the nocturnal world,

and ever points toward another.

The truth is eternal: throughout heaven and earth,

its words echo from generation to generation.

What is right is eternal: it will not be uprooted there

from the earth, its trampled lily.

Even if evil should ultimately conquer the whole world,

you may still will what is right.

Though it be persecuted outside of you with cunning and violence,

it has its refuge hidden in your heart.

And the will, once locked within a burning breast,

takes on manhood, like God, and becomes action.

What is right gains strength, what is true gains a voice,

and the peoples rise up to be transformed.

The sacrifices you made, the dangers you faced,

they rise like stars from Lethe.