From snowy Oxford to Elsa Beskow

Welcome to a magical evening of music at Christmas time. For just over an hour, there is musical Christmas mumma with elements of both Swedish Christmas carols and British hymn and choral classics by Benjamin Britten and John Rutter, among others. The former tastefully elegant, the latter languishingly romantic. Famous gems by W-A Mozart and Jean Sibelius are also on the program and of course Alice Tegnér. All in all, it is music that opens up for a wide range of Christmas associations – from snowy Oxford environments, choirs and afternoon tea to Swedish late romanticism with overflowing Christmas trees in the best Elsa Beskow style.

The concert is conducted by Jessica Cottis, a dear guest from earlier in the house, who participated in the popular production of Macbeth in 2021, among other things. The soloist is the Icelandic coloratura soprano Harpa Ósk Björnsdóttir. We hear her sing Mozart’s beloved Exsultate jubilate and perform Sibelius’s evocative Christmas song. A setting to music of Zacharias Topelius’s poem about an aging man’s wish to be blessed at Christmas time with a different kind of abundance than that which money buys. It is a song about trust, hope and joy – crucial elements for Christmas peace – so easy to forget in the Christmas stress.

Of course, angelic choirs are also needed for the evening to be completed. It is none other than Norrlandsoperan’s children’s and youth choir, directed by Lotta Kuisma, that is responsible for the beautiful singing. The evening ends, as is customary, with the choral singing of the choir singers: Alice Tegner’s Gläns Över Sjö och Strand , which with its lyrical beauty and grand finale continues to touch listeners across generational boundaries. A gift to carry home in the December snow, under the shining stars of the Norrland night.

Image: AI-generated/Midjourney