{"id":21973,"date":"2026-01-08T11:41:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T09:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/benjamin-staern-on-the-musical-piece-making-its-world-premiere\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T15:54:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T13:54:26","slug":"benjamin-staern-on-the-musical-piece-making-its-world-premiere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norrlandsoperan.se\/en\/benjamin-staern-on-the-musical-piece-making-its-world-premiere\/","title":{"rendered":"Benjamin Staern on the musical piece making its world premiere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What is your new orchestral piece about?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 *The Eternal*<\/em> revolves around a state of being rather than a story\u2014where time is experienced as stillness, presence, and being.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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If you could describe your work *The Eternal*<\/em> as a color palette\u2014which colors would dominate, and why?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The colors emerge as slow, chord-like pillars: brown, yellow, orange, and turquoise as the base, with shades of purple, pink, and blue as overtones. Together, they create a sonic world that feels both grounded and ethereal, like the Northern Lights. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Is there any place in the world where you feel the music of *Det Eviga*<\/em> would sound best?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 In a room with a long reverberation time or beneath the vast Nordic sky, where the silence is palpable and the sounds are allowed to move freely throughout the space.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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When you think of the word \u201ceternity\u201d\u2014what sound or tone comes to mind first?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 A slowly pulsating sound field in shades of turquoise and blue-violet\u2014a tone with no clear beginning or end. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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If Leif Segerstam could hear *Det Eviga*<\/em> today\u2014what do you think he would say to you?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 I believe Leif Segerstam would remind us of what he himself so aptly put it: \u201cMusic is NOT what sounds, but music is WHY what sounds, sounds the way it does WHEN it sounds.\u201d<\/em> And that he would recognize this approach in the work\u2019s stillness and concentration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Is there a personal experience or memory that makes themes like the passage of time and the immortality of art feel especially close to you?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Over time, awareness of the transience of life has grown, while faith in art\u2019s ability to convey something timeless has deepened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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When you’re not making music, what do you like to do with your time?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I like to seek out moments of quiet even then\u2014through reading, walking, and reflection, where ideas take shape slowly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Read more about the world premiere here <\/strong>: norrlandsoperan.se\/forestallningar\/bortz-och-mozart<\/a>Photo:<\/strong> Mats B\u00e4cker<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The spring series of Thursday Concerts featuring the Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra kicks off on January 15 with the world premiere of Benjamin Staern\u2019s orchestral piece *Det Eviga* (The Eternal), commissioned by Norrlandsoperan. Staern\u2019s music is as unpredictable as it is instantly recognizable. Perhaps this is due to his color-coded approach to music. We took the opportunity to ask Benjamin a few questions about his new work and what he does when he\u2019s not composing music. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":16982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"blog_color_primary":"","blog_color_secondary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behind-the-scenes","category-intervjuer-en"],"yoast_head":"\nBenjamin Staern on the musical piece making its world premiere - Norrlandsoperan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the spring of 2025, the Norrlandsoperan embarked on an extensive tour across much of northern Sweden with a chamber opera version of the classic *La Boh\u00e8me*. One of the performers who graced stages from Haparanda to Sundsvall was Jenny Viklund, who played Musette in the opera. 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