Programs
We focus primarily on the music of our time, and collaborations with other musicians play a central role for us. These are the source of the works that build our sound. We engage with melodies old and new, while also drawing on early music and jazz. Our stage events thrive on collaborative dynamics, dramatic projection of the content, choreographic accents, and exploration of the architecture and room acoustics.
sounds of the ice, the nighttime, and Nordic landscapes
In this program, Sjaella explores natural phenomena and mythological beings by uniting contemporary and Baroque pieces with folk songs from northern Europe.
Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo makes us experience the Northern lights of his home country; afterwards we hear the ice singing in 'Crystallized', by the young Meredi. The many facets of nocturnal life are presented with clarity and warmth in Henry Purcell's ‘Spirits of the Night’. And between the sparkling stars, set to music by Ēriks Ešenvalds in his piece for voices and wine glasses, we enter the mind of Knut Nystedt’s ‘Sternseherin’; declaring her admiration for the starry sky, while longing for a better world.
The second half of the concert will arc towards the mysterious beings of Nordic mythology. Stories of nature and loving hearts come together in folk songs from countries such as Latvia, Ireland, Finland, Iceland and Norway.
A Concert with singing, dancing and theatre
Meridians is a search for connection. Connection with ourselves and other cultures, with languages that we do not speak or understand, and which are now very rarely spoken, if at all. These, and more widely-known languages feature in folk songs, that convey a feeling of homeland and deep knowledge of one’s own traditions. They offer an insight into people‘s thinking, feeling, and experience. To dive deeper into this space, we work with native speakers, learning from their relationship with the songs of their culture. How significant are these songs in the context of globalisation? Which texts and melodies still speak to us today? And what does this reveal to us about our personal connection to the folk songs of our own homeland?
Folk songs are often linked to rituals and celebrations, which involve physical action alongside the music. In this concert, we also use physical expression, which, like music, is universally understood. Meridiane brings together song and language with movement, dance, (body) percussion, and mime. The programme moves between the traditional and innovation. New works have been created in collaboration with composers, dressing old texts and melodies in new clothes. We take pleasure in the transformation of diving into the mysteries of other cultures.
We believe that traditions are not just a memory of the past. They are living. We can combine yesterday with today through this cultural heritage. Meridiane tells the story of our encounter with folk songs from colourful cultures, in which we have also found a connection with ourselves.
In this program, Sjaella explores the many facets of natural phenomena and mythological stories by uniting early and contemporary music with folk songs from northern Europe. The contrasting tonal language invites the listener to interpret sounds of nature in connection with their place of belonging.
A selection of picturesque Baroque arias from Henry Purcell’s semi-opera The Fairy Queen forms the basis of the first half of the concert, contrasted with compositions from today. With French Renaissance composer Clément Janequin and contemporary American composer Caroline Shaw, we hear the birds twittering. Following Purcell’s song cycle of the four seasons, we hear the ice singing in Crystallized, by the young Meredi. And Hypophysis, a co-composition of Sjaella and Shara Nova, gives a voice to all the little hormones and follicles present in the female body during a monthly cycle.
In the second half, Sjaella merges different cultures with their own and explores what connects people to the songs of their homeland. Which dreams unite them? And how does nature find its way into traditional tunes? Stories of supernatural beings, nordic landscapes, love, loss, and reunion come together in folk songs from Latvia, Norway, Ireland, Germany, and Finland. Characteristic arrangements, vocal variation, elements of performance, and the sound of rarely spoken languages reveal the mysteries of each culture. And while discovering among the branches, one might feel the deepening of their roots.
Out of the ether, into existence. The initial point. The beginning. The ever-recurring origin. Between minimalism and picturesque arias arise light, time, and all life.
In Origins, the female vocal ensemble, Sjaella, focuses on natural cycles that have surrounded us since the dawn of time. In every era, people have experienced the changes in the seasons, the gentle rhythm of day and night, the individual flow of the body, and the transience of rebirth. All of these themes are presented as a unit, which forms a cycle of key concepts from the origin of life to a post-apocalyptic vacuum.
The music contrasts and unites new arrangements of English songs from the 17th Century, such as from Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, with contemporary pieces, including those in the American Minimalist style, such as David Lang’s Evening, Morning, Day. By including mainly commissioned works, the concert program shows Sjaella’s close collaboration with renowned international composers such as Paola Prestini, singer and songwriter Shara Nova, and former King’s Singers member, Philip Lawson.
Moving and timeless themes take centre stage in this concert: peace, the wonder of nature, and love. The first part of the concert begins with new settings of spiritual texts, prayers and hymns by Arvo Pärt, Ola Gjeilo and other current artists. The programme strikes a path into nature with the seasons cycle from Henry Purcell’s Semi-Opera “The Fairy Queen” – reworked for Sjaella with Baroque and contemporary elements. The joys and transience of life meet here in a tone painting. The second part of the concert programme is dedicated to folk songs from northern Europe. Characteristic arrangements and a range of moods are used to give each song space to reveal the mysteries of its culture. Stories of lost love, longing, strange spirits of nature, and daring adventures show the unique characteristics of each region.
20th and 21st Century Spiritual Vocal Music
The concert program ‘Eulogy’ contains the musical setting of spiritual texts and adaptations of spiritual chants. One can expect to hear pieces from various composers such as Knut Nystedt, Ola Gjeilo, Hugo Distler or Ēriks Ešenvalds. What’s more, the program is further enriched by special compositions that were put together just for us. Prolific duets with musicians such as Simon Wawer, Paul Heller, Volker Bräutigam, Gregor Meyer und David Timm are just examples of what awaits you. The compositions include psalms, antiphons, mass-texts and works of Paul Gerhardt and Martin Luther as well as spiritual poetry.
Part of this program can be heard on the 2013 classic record label querstand release ‘Eulogy’. Musical pieces may vary and the program is in constant development.
Set-list extracts:
Simon Wawer: ‘Morgengesang’
Knut Nystedt: ‘You are my brothers keeper’
Ola Gjeilo: ‘Ave generosa’
Erik Esenvalds: ‘O salutaris hostia’
Paul Heller: ‘Wir glauben all an einen Gott’