!!

!

Translated!from!Dagens'Nyheter'28!March!2014!!

Pure!and!simple!musical!magic!

!!!!

Folkoperan!has!combined!ordinary!people’s!stories!with!Bach’s!“St.!Matthew’s!Passion”.!This!is!a!magnificent!work!that!strikes!deeply,!DN’s!Martin!Nyström!writes.!

St Matthew Passion

By J S Bach

Swedish libretto: Magnus Lindman. Conductor: Maria Lindal. Director: Joshua Safaer. Lighting: Bengt Gomér. Orchestra: Rebaroque. Choirs: Adolf Fredrik church’s youth choir, Hägersten youth choir. Musicians: The Real Group, Conny Thimander, Hannah Holgersson, Janna Vettergren and Lars Arvidson. Stage: Folkoperan, Stockholm

• No religious music has been transferred so often or so successfully from its ecclesiastical setting as J. S. Bach’s dramatically charged “St. Matthew’s Passion”. It has been used by Pier Paolo Pasolini to set the tone for an impassioned outsider and Martin Scorsese to voice the absolute conviction that Las Vegas is governed by the randomness of the casino gambling. And it has been shifted to the opera stage by the socially critical Götz Friedrich in Berlin and the Belgian choreographer Alain Platel, who in his ecstatically shocking touring production allows the most

Rebaroque orchestra to the fore and Katarin Henryson on the screen in Folkoperan’s “St. Matthew’s Passion

famous aria “Erbarme dich” to be sung by a man desperately balancing an enormous plank of wood on his head.

Now when Folkoperan is staging “St. Matthew’s Passion” it is with the rider “our inmost narratives”. The passion and death of Jesus is replaced by the narratives of ordinary people about what is most painful, guilt-ridden or incomprehensible. What dare not be shared with anyone else and not at all in the social media. Stories that have come to light through probing undertaken by Folkoperan itself. And which can be accessed on www.odeladtweets.se.

With the Rebaroque ensemble, two youth choirs, The Real Group and four soloists dressed in street clothes placed casually on the stage, one is amazed straight away by the force of the opening choral “Look! Where? Where guilt resides!” the music projects acoustically as it never has in Folkoperan’s auditorium. And in the first filmed interview that follows, which deals precisely with guilt and forgiveness, there is an emotional edge that unrelentingly lacerates one’s heart. An emotional state that cries out for an equally painful probing aria or redeeming choral. When that is what comes, one knows that one is about to be incorporated into this magnificent work in a way never experienced before. What Folkoperan has achieved really is a Bach’s “St. Matthew’s Passion” that is wide open.

With its radical reformulation of the work’s narrative for today, the producer Joshua Sofaer has also revealed!Bach’s original intention. To get as near as possible to the sources of pain so that the situation when darkness becomes light can be conjured up. When oppression and !burdens become lighter. In the filmed interviews we also become part of this process. How everything can transform. The sudden and inexplicable “grace”. When in addition this acquires an exquisite vocal resonance from the participation of The Real Group, it is as if Bach’s path to Golgotha is being visited by the angelic choirboys from Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. The triumph of harmony and pure and simple musical magic!!

Of all the turning points in this performance it is probably the one about the expected baby !that tears the audience apart and then heals them again. Just because it captures the miraculous transition from the most anguished screams to unbounded jubilation. The crown of thorns that turn into laurels. The victory of life over death. !

Before it is time for the final chorale’s promise of rest and peace the moving account of daring to release control is forced upon us. The soprano’s “For Love My Jesus dies for me” is like a tightrope act above an abyss. An act of complete confidence in being caught if one falls.

Martin Nyström

In the first filmed interview that follows, which deals precisely with guilt and forgiveness, there is an emotional edge that unrelentingly lacerates one’s heart.!

!

!!

Dagens Nyheter lists the top 5 cultural events in Sweden with Matteuspassionen as number 1. …radiates a pleasure filled conviction to reach the audience of today. …Bach open wide yet with the core intact: to get as close as possible to the moments in life where pain changes into rejoicing, light emerge out of darkness. …musical magic impossible not to be transformed by. (Martin Nyström)!

!

Bach’s "St. Matthew’s Passion" at Folkoperan Bach’s "St. Matthew’s Passion" at Folkoperan Stockholm (2:51 min)

!Katarina Henryson with Adolf Fredrik Church’s youth choir and Hägersten youth choir. At Folkoperan directed by Joshua Sofaer. Photograph/copyright: Markus Gårder

After&its&immense&and&continuing&success&with&Orff’s&Carmina'Burana,&Folkoperan&in&Stockholm&has&now&devoted&its&attention&to&yet&another&musical&work&that&was&not&written&for&stage&performance&–&Bach’s&St.'Matthew’s'Passion.&Orff’s&music&has&mainly&been&performed&in&concert&halls&even&though&it&was&originally&a&cantata&for&the&stage&and&Bach&wrote&his&music&for&performance&in&churches.&But&Folkoperan&wants&to&play&down&the&religious&narrative&about&the&last&days&of&Jesus&and&speak&instead&of&people’s&own&guilt,&joy&and&blessings:&Do&they&succeed?&

Published!Thursday!27!March!7!a.m.!

They&did&it&–&it&is&quite&remarkable&how!Folkoperan!once!again!takes!something!that!does!not!need!embodiment!and!skilfully,!comprehensibly,!personally!–!in!fact!privately!–!tell!us!something!about!ourselves!and!the!people!on!the!stage.!Bach!did!after!all!write!St.'Matthew’s'Passion!in!German!because!he!wanted!the!people!sitting!in!the!pews!to!understand!that!it!concerned!them.!In!the!same!way!the!British!director!Joshua!Sofaer!has!brought!it!closer!to!us!by!allowing!some!of!the!performers!to!talk!to!a!camera!about!some!of!the!important!moments!in!their!lives.!Really!important.!Everything!from!betraying!one’s!own!child!to!giving!birth,!a!much!longed!for!one,!that!we!also!see!before!Janna!Vettergren!sings.!

Everyone&is&on&the&stairway&shaped&stage&all&the&time.&At!the!centre!is!the!Rebaroque!orchestra.!In!addition!a!quintet,!The!Real!Group,!four!soloists!and!two!youth!choirs.!They!are!wearing!their!usual!clothes!–!so!that!I!not!only!identify!with!parts!of!their!narratives!but!also!the!different!characters.&

There&is&one&that&to&begin&with&I&believe&is!a!sound!engineer!here!at!Swedish!Radio,!another!resembles!Pernilla!August,!a!third!was!actually!a!member!of!the!Radio!choir!and!I!have!spoken!to!him!in!the!radio!gym,!a!fourth!has!the!same!hairdo!as!my!passionate!teenage!sweetheart,!the!one!who!died!of!cancer,!a!fifth!is!like!one!of!my!sonsUinUlaw!and!I!have!spoken!to!the!conductor,!Maria!Lindal!briefly!as!she!makes!radio!programmes!as!well.!Everyone’s!there!–!the!ones!I!know!and!strangers!–!that’s!how!it!feels.!

Musically&the&entire&interpretation&is&based&on&sharing!a!group!performance!–!it!is!almost!folk!music,!as!if!it!were!the!creation!of!the!moment.!It!is!the!same!with!the!arrangements!for!The!Real!Group!–!it!is!totally!natural!when!some!of!the!Bach!is!performed!using!voices!and!the!piano!alone.!!The!overall!effect!–!well!there!is!a!very!fine!closeness!to!the!harmonies,!rhythm,!singing!and!narrative,!but!some!precision!has!had!to!sacrificed!here!and!there.!!But!–!I!have!nothing!against!that.!

Per&Feltzin&per.feltzin@sverigesradio.se&

Extra&info:&In!P2’s!opera!programme!Bänkad&med&Ella&[On&the&bench&with&Ella]&Ella!Petersson!talks!to!the!director!Joshua!Sofaer!and!The!Real!Group’s!Katarina!Henryson!about!working!on!the!production.!This!programme!was!broadcast!on!8!March!and!is!available!for!listeners!for!30!days.!In!addition!it!will!be!broadcast!again!for!Easter!but!then!in!P1.!&

Facts&about&the&Folkopera&production:&Music:!Johann!Sebastian!Bach.!Director:!Joshua!Sofaer.!Swedish!libretto:!Magnus!Lindman.!Conductor:!Maria!Lindal.!Choirmaster:!Christoffer!Holgersson.!Lighting:!Bengt!Gomér.&

Soloists:!Lars!Arvidsson,!Hannah!Holgersson,!Conny!Thimander,!Janna!Vettergren!and!The!Real!Group:!Anders!Edenroth,!Katarina!Henryson,!Anders!Jalkeus,!Emma!Nilsdotter,!Morten!Vinther.!Orchestra:!Rebaroque.!Choirs:!Adolf!Fredrik!Church!youth!choir!and!Hägersten!youth!choir.!

Expressen 28-03-14

!

!

!Voices are merged on equal terms. Photograph: Markus Gårder

Passion that moves ORATORIO St. Matthew’s Passion by J S Bach Folkoperan, Stockholm Director: Joshua Sofaer Performers: Rebaroque, The Real Group et al. Performance: 2½ hours. Hanna&Höglund&watches&a&loving&allTembracing&work&of&art&at&Folkoperan.&I&wish&that&more&could!act!like!Folkoperan!and!the!director!Joshua&Sofaer&when!together&with&The!Real!Group!and!Rebaroque!they!turn!Bach’s!St.'Matthew’s'Passion!upside!down.!They!have!pared!away!something!like!70!per!cent!of!the!religious!content!of!this!narrative!about!the!

sufferings!of!Jesus!on!the!cross,!and!this!is!needed!because!Bach’s!longest!and!most!introvert!passion!has!its!problems.!It!demands!almost!three!hours!–!one!hour!more!than!St.'John’s'Passion!–!as!well!as!a!star!evangelist!who!

can!sustain!the!listeners’!interest!through!all!the!narrative!recitative!until!you!end!up!with!the!wonderful!“Erbarme!dich"!aria!and!its!mates.!In!spite!of!everything!Bach!is!not!always!that!much!fun,!and!those!are!my!words,!a!lover!of!his!oratorios.!But!Folkoperan!has!done!its!own!thing:!got!rid!of!the!recitative,!skipped!the!evangelist!and!interwoven!!

the!arias!with!projected!video!confessions!from!the!lives!of!the!musicians!and!singers!themselves.!One&secret&after&another&is&disclosed!while!Bengt&Gomér’s&skittles!of!light!strike!neutral!faces!on!the!stage.!

This!is!revealing!and!frank,!often!offering!new!approaches!to!the!arias!that!follow!as!well.!I!have!never!been!so!moved!by!”Erbarme!dich"!as!when!I!first!listen!to!the!mezzoUsoprano!Janna&

Vettergren&describe!her!lengthy!childlessness!and!then!watch!a!film!of!her!giving!birth!to!a!son!before!finally!hearing!her!burst!into!song,!live.&In!a!work!about!death!and!divine!sacrifice!the!singing!is!about!a!human!child!being!born!instead.!It!is!as!

beautiful!as!it!is!radical,!and!Magnus&Lindman’s&new!Swedish!libretto!that!has!the!“waters!of!anxiety”!flowing!over!Jesus!and!where!his!grave!is!compared!to!a!soft!pillow,!captures!this!directly,!concretely.!I!also!like!the!way!different!kinds!of!voice!are!allowed!to!mix!on!equal!terms:!opera!soloists,!The!Real!

Group!with!their!microphones,!the!youthful!voices!of!Adolf!Fredrik!Church!and!Hägersten!youth!choirs.!This!is!a!performance!where!it!does!not!matter!so!much!if!someone!plays!the!wrong!note!or!sings!in!the!“right”!way!or!not.!It&is&on&the&other&hand!a!logical!progression!from!both!Folkoperan’s!Masked'Ball'and!Carmina'Burana.'In!

Carmina'Burana'old!women!described!their!lives,!in!Masked'Ball!all!the!characters!were!dying!on!stage!all!the!time,!in!St.'Matthew’s'Passion!we!are!finally!given!no!fewer!than!three!versions!of!"Erbarme!dich",!with!Rebaroque’s!Hebrew!lament!as!one!of!the!pearls.!

The!effect!is!both!to!add!distance!and!to!bring!things!closer,!a!feeling!that!you!can!play!with!the!music!any!way!you!want!to,!as!long!as!you!do!so!with!affection.!Oh,!how!I!wish!more!had!the!courage!to!do!the!same!thing.!!

!By&&Hanna&Höglund&kulturen@expressen.se&

!

Published!28!March!2014!8:58!a.m.!!The!address!to!this!article!is:!http://www.expressen.se/kultur/drabbandeUpassion!!