PRELUDE Rolf Martinsson's Requiem
Rolf Martinsson's Requiem is a work of light for many. Drawing inspiration from the classical requiem tradition, Martinsson has created a contemporary work with hope and beauty at its heart. It is composed for choir, soloists and organ, as well as instrumental forces in three different sizes: orchestra, instrumental quintet or a solo melodic instrument. In addition to the traditional Latin mass texts, Martinsson has set poems by the Bishop of Växjö, Fredrik Modéus, to music. The work is a joint commission by the cathedral choirs of Växjö (the main commissioner), Härnösand, Luleå and Karlstad, as well as the Sankt Petri congregation in Malmö.
The premiere will take place in Växjö Cathedral on Sunday, November 1 with Lisa Larsson, soprano, Staffan Liljas, baritone, Växjö Cathedral's oratorical choir, string orchestra, brass, percussion and organ under the direction of Sten-Inge Petersson.
On Sunday, November 8, Requiem will receive its Malmö premiere with Petri Sångare together with the orchestra and soloists Elin Eriksson, soprano, and Luthando Qave, baritone, under the direction of conductor Karin Oldgren and at the same time premiere in Härnösand Cathedral with the Cathedral Choir, Anna Hanning, soprano, Martin Lissel, baritone, string orchestra, brass, percussion and organ under the direction of Per Brudsten and Luleå Cathedral with the Cathedral Vocal Ensemble and Motet Choir, orchestra, Pia-Karin Helsing, soprano, Kristoffer Töyrä, baritone and Samuel Lindh, conductor.
Three questions for Rolf Martinsson about Requiem
What does your Requiem sound like?
My brother passed away last summer. He had been ill for a long time, but you are still not prepared when it finally happens. Thoughts of him greatly influenced my work on Requiem. When I start composing, I usually do not set any specific boundaries for myself in terms of musical language and style; it usually comes naturally from the context and becomes clearer the further I get. But now there was both a dramatic global situation and my brother's deterioration, so I decided to write a completely tonal work, beautiful and simple, straight from the heart and without any harsh or experimental elements. For me, it was a bold and honest decision. After Requiem, I will write a symphony, and it will be something completely different. It is wonderful to allow yourself that range of expression!
It was also exciting to delve deeply into the Latin text and compare how some great composers have handled it. How did Mozart, Verdi and Fauré do it? I did a lot of research so that I could then go my own way.
What is a requiem?
It is a mass for the dead, but also a reflection on the end of life and death, of course. For me, it is not a sad and sorrowful reflection, but an opportunity to instill hope. I emphasize the natural and beautiful that exists in death, even though it is difficult to talk about when it comes close.
I am not religious, but I compare the relationship with other people and the love and care I give my loved ones with a religious perspective. I can really immerse myself deeply in the text and the action. The church itself is a safe and calm space for me, a space where I have sung in a choir for so many hours and listened when my works have been performed, not least the Lukaspassionen. It is a wonderful feeling to have your music performed in a church. There is so much spirituality, emotion and memories there.
Who have you written your Requiem for?
When I grew up, I was allowed to travel from my little village to Osby where there was a church choir. We had no professional forces, but still made music at a fairly ambitious level. It was fantastic to be able to take part in singing the great works, the times we had the opportunity. It is difficult for a small congregation to afford a large orchestra. When I composed the Lukaspassionen in 2012, the idea was to give more people the opportunity to perform and hear a larger church music work, and it was written for choir, small instrumental ensemble and only two soloists. Since then, it has been performed over 100 times.
So when I worked on my Requiem, I had that idea from the very beginning: to make it accessible to many choir singers, soloists, instrumentalists and listeners. That is why I wrote it in different versions. There is one for chamber orchestra, one for instrumental quintet, and if you cannot afford that, there is one with only organ and a melodic instrument. It can be heard in large settings as well as in rural churches. It is great for me to be able to contribute music to many!
Photo: Josef Sjöblom
FILM: Composer portrait Rolf Martinsson
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