Jeji pastorkyna (Her Stepdaughter; commonly known as Jenufa) is an opera in three acts by Leos Janacek to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Jeji pastorkyna by Gabriela Preissova. Jenufa is based on a play by the Czech writer Gabriela Preissova�. Set a Moravian village, it follows the travails of two half-brothers, steva and Laca, and the woman with whom they are both in love, Jenufa. Jenufa loves steva in return, and is secretly pregnant with his child. But, after the jealous Laca slashes her face, steva abandons her, repelled by the disfigurement. Things only get worse for Jenufa in the second act. Laca, who now hopes to marry her instead, finds out about the child and is furious. In a desperate attempt to help, Jenufa's stepmother kills the baby - but tells them both it died naturally. Her plan appears to work and the pair agree to marry, but the child's body is discovered, forcing Jenufa's stepmother to confess. The opera ends with a remarkable reconciliatory duet between Laca and Jenufa. Here Janacek's music gleams, luminous and hopeful after such sustained darkness.

Lars Forssell's lyrics are both lyrical and down-to-earth and often deal with love experiences, exposure and vulnerability. They can be provocative, politically pronounced, mix light and dark and can be both shimmeringly beautiful and agonizingly black. Evert Taube had great significance for tango in Sweden during the 20th century. Lars Forssell was a close friend of the family and played an important role in how the view of Evert Taube changed from a slightly odd troubadour to the role of popular national poet. Sven Bertil Taube and Lars Forssell went to Argentina together in 1988 and experienced Argentine tango. When they got home, they recorded a tango LP. I have chosen some of these songs with Lars's ingenious lyrics. Our last cafe depicts how painful it is to be abandoned. In Lost Birds we meet the deceived man and the broken love. In Again, the lost love is portrayed. Belgrano is nostalgic and invites us to "play the piano of the past".

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

During the Middle Ages the legend of Saint Sigfrid was related on Saint Sigfrid's Day, the 15th of February. It was reported how he by difficult paths arrived in Sm�land as a missionary; upon his death he was buried in V�xj�. The legend was presented in words and music in the form of an Office, that is, the services which in a monastic context - as was the case at V�xj� Cathedral during the Middle Ages - were spread evenly throughout the day. This combination of recitation from the saint's legend and chants about the saint is called an Office or historia. There are many possibilities about how to interpret Gregorian chant today, just as there was in the Middle Ages. The ensemble Gemma strives for a flexible, text-based song where the accentuation of the words forms the foundation for the melodic line. In this recording we have used a pronunciation of the Latin as it is believed to have sounded during the High Middle Ages in Sweden. Three of the antiphons have been performed with psalmody, in order to some extent highlight the most important task of the Office: The weekly recitation of the 150 psalms from the Old Testament's Book of Psalms and the cantica from the New Testament. With this recording of excerpts from the Sigfrid Office, we wish to invite the listener to participate in the rich world represented by the medieval Office repertoire, and to offer an audio selection from Swedish music history.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music