Näsflöjten

Petter Sundkvist, 1st August, 2009

Hej,

Här är det ingen semester. Vi befinner oss nu i slutfasen av repetitionerna av den kulturpolitiska operetten Näsflöjten i Vadstena. Ikväll är det genomdrag med ljus, mask och kostym och imorgon samsjungning med musikerna i NEO. Det lovar verkligt gott så här långt och i ensemblen kokar det av både sceniska och musikaliska infall. Näsflöjten går i ett rasande tempo både musikaliskt och sceniskt och i huvudrollen som Kulturminister växer en klassisk operahjältinna fram i Ulrika Tenstams gestaltning. Men, bakom leken och de kulturpolitiska bestyren lurar och gäckar Den stora fruktansvärda konsten med sin förtärande låga. Har ni inte möjlighet att komma till Vadstena nu i augusti så är ni varmt välkomna till Piteå eller någon annan av turnéorterna i norra Sverige under oktober månad.

NEO är i Näsflöjten utökad med Sören Hermansson på valthorn och den danske accordeonisten Andreas Borregaard.

Petter Sundkvist

The Age of Wire and String

Petter Sundkvist, 29th April, 2009

This week we have been rehearsing 11 new pieces by young composers in Gotland Tonsättarskola. We are preparing the works for concerts in the Festival Ljudvågor later in may. Today, Wednesday we are preparing a concert program that will be performed next week in Piteå, Luleå and ending up in the great concert hall of Norrlandsoperan next Friday in their very ambitious MADE festival. The program is given the title the Age of Wire and String after Rolf Wallins new piece – after Ben Marcus strange but inspiring novel from 1998. A funny coincidence is that our main piece in the program – Steve Reich Double Sextett – was just awarded the Pulitzer prize. Hopefully it will bring some attention to our program. By the way, we had planned to perform Tristan Murail’s Winter Fragments but the music ordered a long time ago didn’t show up in time to get a proper preparation from the musicians. Sad, but we will surely program the piece in the future. On a personal level it’s a mixed feeling with the speedy entrance of spring here in the north. Snow mould and pollen is a rough thing to handle. We are also proud and happy to welcome our new member, cellist David Gammelgård into the ensemble.

Petter

Opera, accordeon, gourmet food and mysticism

Petter Sundkvist, 19th March, 2009

This weekend we had a kick off in Stockholm for the new chamber opera production, Nasflojten. It’s a joint venture with Vadstena Akademien and Norrbotten NEO/Pitea Chamber Opera. The piece is hilarious, an operetta about culture and politics and will be performed throughout August in Vadstena and in October on tour in northern Sweden. Hopefully the musicians in NEO won’t kill me for dragging them into this “high risk” project.
We are in the process of recruiting a new producer to the ensemble and have had a series of interviews during the last weeks. Hopefully everything will be set in April.
NEO made a successful tour in late February – early March with Norwegian accordionist Geir Draugsvoll. In next week rehearsals will start with a new commission by Ingvar Karkoff, based upon the novel Bortbytingen by nobel-prize awarded Selma Lagerlof. It’s a music tale with narrator that will be performed both for youngsters and grownups.
In this week Marten and Christian are touring as soloists with Norrbotten Chamber Orchestra and Terje Tønnesen. We – Marten, Christian, Terje, Shauna and I - had a fantastic dinner Tuesday evening at restaurant Bryggargatan. The discussions covered Bach and number symbolism and also the strange novel Organisten by Erlend Loe which left a lot of question marks in me and Terje.