C a n t o _E r o t i c o

"The songs by Perder set seven of his own very erotic poems, these have titles such as clarinetto, viola, trombone. This latter begins with the text " Slow breaths sustained glissandi we breathe more heavily but together…" I could go on, because most of the songs seem to require a different vocal technique and many original ideas. However this would be to deny you a real sense of discovery. As for the poets there is Lars Forsell, Elmer Diktonius, Par Lagerkvist and Gunnar Bjorling all of who are contemporary and who work regularly with these composers. Their verse is as remarkable and imaginative as the music and wonderfully and vividly translated by Roger Tanner."

Gary Higginson, Classical Music Web, 2001

 

V o c u n a _II

Kjell Perder (1954) delivers a solo trombone piece – “Vocuna II; Jerico Jerico” (1995) – much in the vein of Luciano Berio’s Sequenzas or Anders Eliasson’s Disegni, i.e. rather complicated solo pieces with a touch of virtuosity, sort of demonstrating the possibilities of the instrument or the manifold expressions that might rise out of the solitude of the single performer, the single instrument. Perder succeeds very nicely here, keeping the attention of the listener throughout – and I wouldn’t rule out a re-spin of the work either! Ivo Nilsson, the interpreter, says about Perder’s piece that it displays “a mosaic of affects”. The musical annotations are interesting: “threatening, mysterious, triumphant”). As to the reference to the walls of Jericho Perder points out that he refers to our walls within, in this case.

Sonoloco record reviews

L o n d o n _V e r t i g o

The Ivo Nilsson has the piano played with maximum damping, slamming notes like taut steel girders. Jansson is much more relaxed, bathed in a dreamy atonality common also to Bo Nilsson's very romantic Arctic Romance, a breath away from a Rachmaninov Etude Tableau. Glaser also trades in gentle dissonance in both his pieces. The strike of polished pebbles marks the Gothe Valkyries. Perder's London Vertigo can be likened to Eugene Goossens ' piano writing: meltingly dissonant and edgily sleepy. Karkoff (a big name, like Bo Nilsson) is represented by a fantasia in the spirit of a sepulchral drowned cathedral. The Sandstrom work has the harsh concussion of a tenor stone bell. The two Rabe items have a sly goblin smile and proceed from John Ireland via Schoenberg.
Good notes and excellent sound. This is the sort of set you will return to again. Its rewards are patent. It is a pity that the playing time is short.

Rob Barnett, Classical Music on the Web

M i s s a _I n _M e d i a _V i t a

Kjell Perder has set parts from the Latin Mass to music, together with four new poems by Göran Sahlberg. The poems are sung by the soloists, as personal comments to the mass texts. - - - The contemporary music of Perder is expressive and dynamic, with many rhythms and advanced melodic rows which can not have been simple for the choir to learn.

I liked the music. The percussion music was awesome, and the percussionists had their hands full all the time. The mass starts with a thrilling Kyrie, where the male choir is "calling from the depths" and "Save me God, the water reach my neck" is recited. The baritone Olle Persson sings "In each and every one - an empty space". Thus is the starting point for the human being.

Between every movement a solo piece is played, as if giving space for reflection, and after the English Horn-solo in the Kyrie movement it was lovely to hear a Gloria exploding with joy. Swinging and fun, almost with an African feel, with a lot of percussion.

The Credo tried an unusual take. While the soloists performed a calm Confession of Faith a murmur was heard in the background. It was the choir singers individually explaining which God they don´t beleive in! And then the Sanctus. Out of the "Holy, Holy" cries from the choir the voice of Annika Skoglund, with great presence and intimity singing: "The world has an undamaged reverse side / in the unsaid moment / between the tac (...) tic / an overlooked passage / into something else / something holy" - and she continues, "The seconds pray for you / the unnoticed time shall gently bring
you / to Him / He that Is."

Out of this rarified atmosphere the Agnus Dei grows, and the music moves from prayer to jubilation, and fades out in a Coda with slow sounds, and a distant trumpet.

The audience was enthusiastic and responded with standing ovations. I hope this work will be performed again. The text of the mass is certainly always topical, but through Perders´ music and Sahlbergs´ texts it acquired an actuality - "it´s about me". And it does concern us all, because we are all in the middle of life.

Katarina Josephsson, Petrus. Translation Kjell Perder/Hubert Best

B e r g et _("The mountain")

The opera is about a father pulling his son up from sleep and taking him on a remarkable journey through the night. - - - The landscape changes dreamlike between the mountain where the prophet rules and the city where rubbish collectors are heard in the streets. The father tells the sceptical son that they are travelling towards safety. But the sound of marching boots tells something else: the son is supposed to appear in queue on the way to a struggle where only the strongest survive.

The orchestral music played by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jonas Dominique was expressively, but not overly, dominated by the percussion, the vocal parts were highly tensioned but melodius. Also The Radio Choir and Lamentabile Consort contributed. Erik Saedén as the father achieved
something almost miraculous with his musicality and extraordinary diction, thereby slightly overshadowing the other roles, which were nevertheless well handled: Jan Nilsson as the boy, and the counter tenor Mikael Bellini as the ageless present witness on the way from confidence to panic and stillness of death.

(Hans Wolf, DN. Translation Kjell Perder/Hubert Best)