NB’s seven-week series culminates this week with samples from the final movements of Thomas Jennefelt’s Villarosa Sequences: “Vinamintra elitavi”. And, later this week BCE will present a live performance of the entire work representing the first complete performance outside Sweden. Movement seven, “Vinamintra elitavi”, is the conclusion of the arch of movements. Like movements one, [...]

As BCE’s enters the final days before the live Villarosa concerts next weekend, the movement-by-movement series continues to movement #6, “Virita criosa”. As the large arch-form of the work approaches its close,“Virita criosa” can be seen as a structural pair to #2, “Saoveri indamflavi”. Just as “Saoveri” was for men, “Virita criosa” is for women’s [...]

Last week, NB explored the fourth of the seven Villarosa Sequences movements. The mathematician in you may notice that #4 was the center of the work. And so  with movement #5, “Claviante brilioso”, we begin to sense the complete shape and scale of the whole work. As in movements #1 and #3, movement “Claviante brilioso” [...]

Today NB introduces “Strimoni volio” the fourth of the seven Villarosa Sequences movements. “Strimoni volio” was written in 2001 for Swedish soprano Jeanette Köhn. Of the seven movements, this was the last to be composed. Below is an excerpt from the movement recorded by the Ms. Köhn herself; it comes from the same recording as the other [...]

NB continues our weekly installments of movements from the Villarosa Sequences. This week, we move on to the third movement: “Villarosa sarialdi.” As in the first week, this movement is scored for a mixed-voice choir. This is the third in the first set of three, all of which were commissioned simultaneously by the choirs in Helsinki, [...]

Last week, NB introduced you to the first movement of Villarosa Sequences. This week, we move on to the second movement: “Saoverdi indamflavi.” While ‘Aleidi’ was for mixed voices (also known as SATB; soprano, alto, tenor, bass), this movement shifts the sound palette to men’s voices, or TTBB. This shift in ‘instrumentation’ offers welcome variety [...]

Starting today and running for the next seven weeks, NB explores each of the seven Villarosa Sequences movements. This week, we introduce the first movement, “Aleidi floriasti”. The movement was completed in 1993 and written from the Jubilate Choir in Helsinki, Finland. Below is an excerpt from the movement recorded by the St. Jacob’s Chamber [...]

Beginning next week and running for the seven weeks following, NB will present samples from each of the seven movements in the Villarosa Sequences. To help us illustrate the music, we’re happy to report that The St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir has already produced a beautiful recording of the complete work and has generously allowed us [...]