Sunday 24 May 2009
8pm – 10pm

Review by
Gerard Rochford

The Stonehaven Chorus and Aberdeen Sinfonietta, conductor John Hearne, give the UK premiere of Fredrik Sixten's Requiem, with texts by Bengt Pohjanen, and in fact the world premiere of the English translation by John Hearne.

Fredrik Sixten writes: When my dear friend Patrik Runeke became seriously ill and died — only 37 years old — feelings and thoughts concering life and death overwhelmed me. It was natural for me to turn to Bengt Pohjanen, with whom I had collaborated earlier, to ask him to formulate words of anger and of gratitude, words of guilt and of forgiveness, words of consolation, of love and hope. These words of Bengt's, in combination with the classical texts from the Latin Requiem Mass, form a kind of testament to mankind's yearning for unity and perfection. In the final movement, In Paradisum, this yearning is borne forth to the God whom Bengt describes as being: Wisdom deep and loving. Stronger than death.

The programme also includes Bach's Magnificat, BWV.243.

Fredrik Sixten
Requiem

Johann Sebastian Bach
Magnificat, BWV.243

Wilma MacDougall (soprano)

Elysia Leech (mezzo-soprano)

Iain Milne (tenor)

Stewart Kempster (baritone)

Stonehaven Chorus

Aberdeen Sinfonietta

Bryan Dargie (leader)

John Hearne (conductor)

Fredrik Sixten, born in 1962, earned his Bachelor of Arts from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. He studied composition with professor Sven-David Sandström. After his graduation he worked as an organist and choir leader within the Swedish church. Between 1997 and 2001 he was the chief conductor of the Gothenburg Boys Choir, one of Sweden's best boys choirs. Together they made 4 CDs on the Naxos label, and one of their records sold gold. Fredrik Sixten is currently cathedral organist of Härnösands Domkyrk, and a well established composer in Sweden. His works have been performed on Swedish radio and television.

Bengt Pohjanen was born in the village of Kassa in Pajala, Torne River Valley, in 1944. Today, he works as a trilingual author and lives in Haparanda. Bengt Pohjanen's literary production consists of novels, plays and screenplays. He also translates prose and lyrics. Torne River Valley and its history are a distinguishing theme in Pohjanen's literary production. His work has been translated into Russian, English, Danish, French, German, Finnish and also into Meänkieli. Bengt Pohjanen's plays have twice been presented at the Bonner Biennale in Germany and his radio play Icon Painter has competed for the Prix Italia prize.

John Hearne has lived in Scotland since 1970. For a time he taught music in Iceland, and for 17 years was a lecturer at Aberdeen College of Education. He was the first Chairman of the Scottish Society of Composers, and was the Chairman of the Scottish Music Advisory Committee of the BBC from 1986 to 1990. He is now a free-lance composer, singer, conductor and translator. In 2004 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Music (D.Mus.) from the University of Wales, the first time this degree has been conferred in more than thirty years. The award was based on a portfolio of his compositions.

Promoted by

Stonehaven and District Choral Society

Supported by

Adrian Smith Saab
St James Episcopal Church, Stonehaven
Making Music Scotland
Kincardine and Deeside Arts Forum
Aberdeenshire Council
Sound