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Peterson, Matthew
SMzATBarB a cappella
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Stenarna (The Stones) is a setting of a 1954 poem by the Swedish poet and Nobel-prize winner Tomas Tranströmer. Stones are a recurring symbol in Tranströmer’s poetry, often representing time and transformation. Tranströmer’s almost minimalistic formal clarity creates a space which seems to fill with an ethereal power, an otherworldly presence. My musical style was an easy companion to the great poet in this work. Canons, simple rhythms, clear lines. A limited tonal palette of seven tones, introduced one at a time like primary colors against a monochrome background. Harmonies that shift in a beat from the simple to the unexpected and extraordinary. Stenarna was commissioned by Bengt Ollén and Sofia Vokalensemble in honor of the choir’s 30th anniversary.
/Matthew Peterson
The stones we have thrown, I hear them
falling, crystal clear through the years.
From Stenarna (1954) by Tomas Tranströmer, translation by the composer
Listen to the premiere av Stenarna, with Sofia Vokalensemble and Bengt Ollén.
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