CHRISTIANHOLMQVIST

the lyre of orpheus

 

The concerts in the series The Lyre of Orpheus (2013-2014) were held in Helsinki and Oulu. The focus was on the poetry and the times of the modernist poetess Edith Södergran (1892-1923). The concerts included music by her contemporaries, songs to words by her or her contemporaries, and music which is generally, so to speak, poetic. The musicians were Marika Kivinen and Laura Heikkilä. In the second concert  the soprano Minna Nyberg participated also. 

 

”The Heart’s Secret” included music by Rautavaara, Nystroem, Alma Mahler, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin, as well as Holmqvist’s Three Preludes and the vocal cycle Fyra dikter av Edith Södergran. 

 

The concert ”A little rust-red sail” included music by Madetoja, Rautavaara, Sibelius, Schumann and Scriabin, as well as premieres of two works by Holmqvist: the piano suite Bagatelles and the vocal cycle to words by Rainer Maria Rilke, Drei sonette an Orpheus. 

 

The project received financial support from: The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland (Svenska Kulturfonden i Finland), Oskar Öflunds stiftelse and Nygréns stiftelse.