LYSSNA
On February 1, 2020 Birgitta’s composition LYSSNA for choir and octet was premiered at a service at Adolf Fredriks kyrka in Stockholm by Vokalensemblen i Sundbyberg and Sofia Lärkfors (voc), Eva Lindal (v), Ragnhild Kvist (vio), Simon Skogh (tb), Mauritz Agnas (b), Sebastian Voegler (dr), Martin Edin (p) and Birgitta. The premiere was part of JUBILATE, Stockholms stift annual church music festival and was result of a cooperation of ESAIM project of the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH) and Stockholms stift. The piece is Birgitta’s exam project for her master studies at KMH.
LYSSNA will also be performed at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, Berlin. More details are to follow as soon as the momentary situation with the Corona Virus allows for it.

LYSSNA is a composition in seven parts to verses of the biblical psalms 39 & 40. LYSSNA means listening in English and this is also the common thread that connects both psalms. Words of the 7th (6th)verse of psalm 40 become the central theme: “Du har lärt mig att lyssna” – “mine ears hast thou opened”.
As a musician listening is the key to all musical communication and action. Listening and intuition in-the-moment lead the way and are the common source that make me understand composition and improvisation as part of the same musical flow, although having another relation to time.
And so listening is what makes my composition LYSSNA permeable for free improvisation as well as influences from Gregorian chant and old Swedish chorals.

LYSSNA is dedicated to Martin Klenk.