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Concert | Varberg's Chamber Choir, Landgren, Gageego!
[concert introduction 11.30 | parish home]
Varberg Chamber Choir, Johannes Landgren, organ and Gageego! under the direction of Gunno Palmquist
Varberg’s chamber choir | Love and death
Program
Max Käck: Kindaholmsparafrasen [2022] – world premiere
Per-Gunnar Petersson: Psalm 96 [2017]
Arvo Pärt: Magnificat [1989]
Britta Antonér: O magnum mysterium [2016]
Hildegard von Bingen: Caritas abundat for choir and organ improvisation [12th century]
Jan Yngwe: A triumph to exist [2017]
Max Käck: Tilblivelser [2017]
About the concert
This program is really a jumble of contemporary choral music that the chamber choir has on its repertoire, but still has an overall theme; “Love and death”, “the two giants of existence” as someone put it. The oldest work is from 1989 – Arvo Pärts Magnificat – and the youngest will be the premiere of Max Käck’s Kindaholmsparafrasen, written in 2022. Hildegard von Bingen’s Caritas abundance is the exception – both the oldest (12th century) and the youngest (as both choir and organ are based on improvisations. It is interesting in this context that in “Gregorianism” there is a timelessness that makes it possible for experiments and improvisations and in this way a bridge can be built between ages, and also in and between other pieces there is a musical range from gregorianism – romance – minimalism to harsh modernism.
Program notes
Max Käck: Kindaholmsparafrasen [2022] – world premiere
In 2099, a decision is made on a new road between Östra Frölunda and Kalv. During the excavation work, one encounters a casket in the ground, with texts and notes from the time before the prevailing world culture. They contain time-typical attempts to get through the external structures and the superficial light and find the core of music. Despite its fragmentary state, one finds that the notes are notes of a music in which everything is redundantly removed so that only the most essential aspects remain. A team of linguists and musicologists start to work on recreating and interpreting the material. Due to the circumstances and the state of the material, the confusion that occurs during the work between trivial messages from digital devices and serious poetic texts cannot be blamed on them. The result of the working group’s efforts is the present paraphrase of a previously unknown work [of music].
About Max Käck
Max Käck’s musical craft and base is classical music, not least with a cello in his arms, but his encounter and development of contemporary art music took place to a large extent through the electroacoustic medium, and the legendary Rune Lindblad. Over the years, and with an in-depth interest in both musical and existential issues, Käck’s art came to move more and more towards an acoustic exploration. Basically, Max Käck asks questions about the roots and origins of music in man’s existential search. Through clear, poetic and often slow, sonorous, and melodic shifts, a musical response to the secret that seems to connect the soul, man and life is sought. The music is searching, both in sound and meaning. For the Kalv Festival visitor, perhaps Käck’s voice and silhouette are more familiar than the sounding. It is largely through Käck’s tireless work, great sensitivity, fine-tuned artistry, and professional attitude, that the village of Kalv has gained an example of culture when it works best: a forum for rich, challenging, inspiring and perspective-opening experiences of mainly sound art, often complemented by visual art, dance and nature experiences in a limited and fine-tuned context. Here, locals, composers, performers, students, organizers, critics, and others meet in an inspiring atmosphere where high artistic ambitions are challenged by practical implementation questions and varying listening reactions, where the existential dimension also has a place.
At today’s concert, Max Käck’s music will be premiered and performed in two works. The one, which in Danish is called tilblivelser and the premiere of Kindaholmsparafrasen. The Kindaholm paraphrase, which in its title alludes to the villge of Kalv, is not only an additional addition to Käck’s musical work, but also a commentary and reflection on a place, an era and the secrets of music in order to invite the (reflective) listener.
Composer John Cage once said that “Everything we do is done by invitation. That invitation comes from oneself or from another person”. Max Käck once invited art music to Kalv, perhaps then no one had – in the true sense – asked for it. This festival, 2022, we have invited Käck back to the church in Kalv, and the relationship is thus reversed. And (his) music will come before us as a possible answer to our existential questions.