6 Questions for Karin Rehnqvist
An Interview
Karin Rehnqvist is one of Sweden’s best-known and most frequently performed composers. She has published the choral work Universe with Carus-Verlag. We’ve asked the Swedish composer some questions.
What was your first composition?
It was a work for solo voice, flute and piano, which I played with friends in a school auditorium at our graduation ceremony. All my classmates were listening. I was 18 years old at the time. Today I think it was very brave.
Which other composers inspire you?
Monteverdi, Galina Ustvolskaya, Bartok – to name just a few. I’m also very inspired by Swedish folk music, which you can hear in my music.
Your most emotional musical experience to date?
It sounds a bit narcissistic, but it’s always very emotional to hear your own music in concert, especially if it’s a new piece or a world premiere. I’ve spent so much time with the piece while composing, and then I feel it with my whole body, all my senses and emotions. I’ve just returned from Helsingborg, where my oratorio “Silent Earth” about the climate crisis was performed. The theme itself is very dramatic, and so of course is the music. The choir and orchestra played the piece very intensely and expressively.
Where do you prefer to compose?
At home. I need my piano, my desk, my chair, my computer table.
What are you working on at the moment?
A little Christmas carol for children’s choir and an opera for children.
When you’re not composing or making music, then…
I love hiking in nature and spending time with family and friends.
Universe
Choral work for mixed choir by Karin Rehnqvist
Carus 9.272/00
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