{"id":975,"date":"2016-01-23T21:32:21","date_gmt":"2016-01-23T20:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/?p=975"},"modified":"2016-01-30T01:09:12","modified_gmt":"2016-01-30T00:09:12","slug":"as-a-composer-i-am-the-consummate-listener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/as-a-composer-i-am-the-consummate-listener\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAs a composer, I am the consummate listener\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<p class=\"title single-title entry-title\">\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"post-single-content box mark-links entry-content\">\n<div class=\"thecontent\">\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">I would like to begin by saying a great and heartfelt \u201cThank you!\u201d to Birmingham City University for this honorary degree. It is indeed a great honor, and I feel happy, energized, and inspired! And it is a real pleasure to establish closer ties with this city, with its long and very fine tradition of new music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">I would also like to thank the staff of Birmingham Conservatoire<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a0for inviting me here this week. It has been an intensive period of seminars, masterclasses, rehearsals \u2013 and of course, the concerts last night and this evening with fantastic performances. I have met many wonderful people and come away with many new thoughts and new ideas. Music is truly a meeting place. Music is collaboration. So, a big thank you to everyone I have met this week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">As a composer, I am the consummate listener<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>.<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a0I make my ears as big as I can, and I listen in on the world. I listen to people, to the earth, to roots and skies. I send feelers even further, far out into the universe. What needs to be said? What needs to take shape as music? What do we, the people living right now, need to hear?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">Then I look for a sound: a concrete musical starting point, something burning, something I absolutely must investigate. It is not hard to get ideas, but to choose the right idea is an art. It takes time. It requires stillness. But once I catch hold of the core idea, which is often just a short musical cell, the music begins to unfold. Slowly. It takes a long time to decide whether a note should sound like this\u2026(singing) or this\u2026. It takes time, patience, and a lot of concentration. But in the end \u2013 after a lot of hard work and a lot of \u201derase, try again, erase, try again\u201d\u2014in the end, the music usually starts to write itself. And all of a sudden,\u00a0<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>Something<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a0appears. Something I feel I could never have discovered all by myself. Something that had to be excavated, coaxed into existence. Something that \u2013 now it\u2019s here \u2013 seems like the most natural thing in the world. Something that reaches out, towards \u201cthe other.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">Music is important for us human beings. When you emigrate and have to leave your country, like so many people these days, you carry your music with you. You bring your cuisine, and you bring your music. These things stay with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">My music often uses forms that have accompanied humanity through the ages. Musical forms deeply bound up with what it means to be human: the call, the prayer, the incantation. The lullaby, the song of sorrow, the hymn of praise. Tradition is important, but I think we also need to find new expressions for it. And we must not lose these expressions. We must never stop\u00a0<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>resounding<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">; never stop expressing sorrow and joy in music \u2013 we\u00a0<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>talk<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a0so much these days \u2013 never stop singing lullabies to our children. Not just listen, now that music is everywhere, always close at hand. We each have to walk at our own tempo, follow our own rhythm. And we have to sing! As the poet Guillevic wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"OLE_LINK28\"><\/a><a name=\"OLE_LINK29\"><\/a><span lang=\"en-US\">Whoever hears singing<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">says, \u201cI exist;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">I believe that I am<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">without limits any more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span lang=\"en-US\">Karin Rehnqvist<br \/>\n<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">Birmingham, November 13, 2015<br \/>\n<\/span><a name=\"_GoBack\"><\/a><span lang=\"en-US\">English translation by Robin Blanton<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I would like to begin by saying a great and heartfelt \u201cThank you!\u201d to Birmingham City University for this honorary degree. It is <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,3,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-misc","category-notes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/KR_BCU-doctor1.jpg?fit=1664%2C1041&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p79arM-fJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1431,"url":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/karin-featured-composer-at-new-music-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":975,"position":0},"title":"Karin featured composer at new music festival","author":"admin2","date":"March 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Svensk Musikv\u00e5r, a Swedish festival for art music, will be held this year on March 20-26 in Stockholm. It is shaping up to be an outstanding festival! Nine venues will offer 35 concerts (most with free admission) as well as lectures and seminars, also free of charge. Music by no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Notes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Notes","link":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/category\/notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/KarinRehnqvist_KMH_20170128SvMusikv%C3%A5r.jpg?fit=1200%2C773&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/KarinRehnqvist_KMH_20170128SvMusikv%C3%A5r.jpg?fit=1200%2C773&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/KarinRehnqvist_KMH_20170128SvMusikv%C3%A5r.jpg?fit=1200%2C773&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/KarinRehnqvist_KMH_20170128SvMusikv%C3%A5r.jpg?fit=1200%2C773&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/KarinRehnqvist_KMH_20170128SvMusikv%C3%A5r.jpg?fit=1200%2C773&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2571,"url":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/world-premiere-in-norway-day-is-here\/","url_meta":{"origin":975,"position":1},"title":"World premiere in Norway: Day is here!","author":"admin2","date":"November 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It became in Norway as Karin Rehnqvist's work Day Is Here! received its premiere \u2013 a choral work in four movements for eight voices and strings:Hamar Cathedral on November 5 with Det Norske Solistkor (The Norwegian Soloist's Choir) and Ensemble Allegria under the direction of Grete Pedersen. 1. Day is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Latest&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Latest","link":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/category\/latest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Det-Norske-Solistkor_KRGP.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Det-Norske-Solistkor_KRGP.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Det-Norske-Solistkor_KRGP.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Det-Norske-Solistkor_KRGP.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Det-Norske-Solistkor_KRGP.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1193,"url":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/a-composer-of-fiery-inspiration\/","url_meta":{"origin":975,"position":2},"title":"A Composer of Fiery Inspiration","author":"admin2","date":"January 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"From an article in Nordic Sounds\u00a0 by Svend Brown \u00a0 On December 2, 2005, Swedish composer Karin Rehnqvist was awarded the Rosenberg Prize. 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The prize is awarded for musicianship of the highest standard, to a piece by a living composer one year and to an ensemble or group the next. In 2022, composers will be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Latest&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Latest","link":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/category\/latest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Karin-Rehnqvist-2019-605_forlangd_2.jpg?fit=1200%2C886&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Karin-Rehnqvist-2019-605_forlangd_2.jpg?fit=1200%2C886&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Karin-Rehnqvist-2019-605_forlangd_2.jpg?fit=1200%2C886&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Karin-Rehnqvist-2019-605_forlangd_2.jpg?fit=1200%2C886&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Karin-Rehnqvist-2019-605_forlangd_2.jpg?fit=1200%2C886&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1949,"url":"https:\/\/karin-rehnqvist.se\/eng\/the-expression-should-be-strong\/","url_meta":{"origin":975,"position":4},"title":"\u2013 The expression should be strong","author":"admin2","date":"December 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"December 2019: Karin Rehnqvist is the composer of the month at Gehrman's music publishing company, Sweden. 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