CHRISTIANHOLMQVIST
Introduction to music
Christian Holmqvist is a musical pluralist who choose his tools in consideration of what he wants to express in the work at hand. His music combines a romantic emotionalism with classical structures
and neoclassical pulsations. One may also find elements borrowed from the modern tradition. Recurring features are a juxtaposition of melodic lyricism and dramatic outbursts.
Holmqvist acknowledge especially Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, Debussy, Scriabin, Shostakovich, Einar Englund and Einojuhani Rautavaara as important to his development as a composer. In some works may be heard influences of popular music and jazz.
Holmqvist is mainly known for his vocal works (song cycles and choral works). He has also written 6 string quartets, a violin sonata and other chamber music, as also music for solo piano including 2 sonatinas and the piece The September Lyre. Of orchestral works may be mentioned the Divertimento for wind band and the Petite Suite Baroque for strings.
LISTEN to some of Holmqvist's works
DIvertimento for symphonic wind band. Performed by Akateeminen puhallinorkesteri & Kalervo Kulmala. Recording of the first performance in Seinäjoki in 1999.
På nattgammal is (On Brittle Ice), the first song from the song cycle Fem dikter av Jarl Hemmer (Five Poems of Jarl Hemmer), performed by Marika Kivinen & Patrik Komorowski. Studio recording from 2017.
NEWS IN BRIEF...
Holmqvist is currently working on a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra
commissioned by Marika Kivinen.
A concert including the duo work Götterdämmerung at the Tampere Biennale 2022 available on the net for a limited time. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjFDKcfVK0
An e-book (in Finnish) about the composer Einar Englund (1916-1999), written by Holmqvist, will be published by Fennica
Gehrman in 2023.
Updated 5/2023