JUNE 2010
THE FAROE ISLANDS
14.-24.6.
Hanne received a mobility grant from Nordic Culture Point to the Faroe Islands:
"The ash cloud postponed my departure some one and half day....so I was grateful that Faroese people are so flexible: The Board of the choir Eystanljoð who has organised singers from other choirs for a project with my compositions kept reorganising their rehearsals according to the forecasts of the air services and organised extra evening rehearsals Mon-Tues on short notice. So I ended up having fruitful sessions with both soloists and some 25 choir singers who together with Music for the Mysteries and organist Petur Martin Johannesen will perform my two newly composed works during our June tour.
- Another purpose of the visit was to have meetings with
collaborations partners such as the Art Museum, The Nordic House in Tórshavn and the organist of Gøta Church.
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At the Faroese Art Museum I also met the visual artist Jógvan Sverrason Biskopstø whose special exhibition had just opened. Music for the Mysteries will perform among his fine transparent water colour paintings and inspiring sculptures. One of the latter is titled "Ash Cloud" - and I certainly prefer Biskopstø's versiion to the one moving around in the air above us for the time being.....
The Faroese daily paper DIMMALÆTTING brought an article with interview with me about the visit and Music for the Mysteries' coming tour.
Concert project with the choir Eystanljoð,
with performances in Gøta Church 20.6. and
in Vesturkirkjan/West Church in Tórshavn 22.6.
Project "Musicians in the Museum at the
Faroese Art Museum in Tórshavn 17.-18.6.
Tour programme: Music from 2010 by
Hanne Tofte Jespersen who currently explores ways to creation of modern mystery plays.
The 30 minutes suite "Music for Melangell" was first performed during the church concerts and introduced in the Faroese Art Museum.
LISTEN...
First performance in the church of Gøta 20.6.10
The concerts were part of the festival Summartónar.
The choir project also included "Suite for poems by George Herbert". Hanne has set five poems by the poet-priest and mystic George Herbert (1593-1633) in music. His poems are both deep and joyful - and most inspiring for modern people.
It is a commissioned piece for 3 solo voices, mixed choir, violin, double bass and church organ which was first performed during an organ inauguration in DK 30.5.10.
In the Faroe Islands it was performed by Music for the Mysteries, Eystanljoð and organist
Petur Martin Johannesen.
Solo parts by Ursula Bambuch, Agnethe Christensen and Páll Isholm.
The ensemble also performed music from Music for the Mysteries' cd from 2010,
incl. vocal- and instrumental music by Anders Hvidberg-Hansen.
sponsors: Norðurlandahúsið/ The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands, Mentanargrunnur Landsins / The Faroese Cultural Foundation, Dmf / Danish Musicians Union, DJBFA /Danish Jazz, Beat & Folk Composers, Nordic Culture Point, The Danish-Faroese Cultural Foundation, Eik Bank, Atlantic Petroleum, Fjølrit, Solistforeningen af 1921/The Soloists Association of 1921, Eysturkommuna.
co-organisers: Gøta Church, Listasavn Føroya/ The Faroese Art Museum, Summartónar/The Association of Faroese Composers
previous tours:
CD-Release Sept 2009 - 3 CONCERTS in DK
UK & WALES 3.-8.Sept 2008
First concert during the tour was a lunch time performance at the
National Museum Cardiff.
The Ensemble was invited to Somerset (UK) by the annual Dion Fortune Seminar
which takes place in Glastonbury on the first Saturday in September.
Company of Avalon, organiser of the seminar, is carrying on the heritage of Dion Fortune.
The day after the seminar, Music for the Mysteries performed in the Abbots Kitchen of Glastonbury Abbey, one of England's greatest centres of early Christianity and a most sacred site within the Arthurian legends as well as the Celtic and Christian mystery traditions.
The concerts displayed the ensemble's focus on contemporary music to handed down texts and our collaboration projects with museums for art and culture, contemporary as well as those who preserve the cultural heritage of the past.
photos from Glastonbury Abbey: Hanne Tofte Jespersen © 