Rigmore Gustafsson

This recording revives long-forgotten sonorities that once would have been very familiar: the sound of piano and organ being played together. It also presents a Sibelius premiere: the arrangement by Sigfird Karg-Elert of the suite from Pelléas and Mélisande. As the popularity of domestic music-making grew through the nineteenth century, it brought first the piano and, then, often the harmonium into well-off living-rooms across the western world. Composers naturally responded, with original works and arrangements: Sibelius Andante cantabile was written after a visit to relatives who had both instruments in their salon.

On this newest endeavour, the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Joachim Gustafsson, turns its attention towards Danish composer August Enna (1859-1939) with renderings of two of his charming orchestral works. Traces of several elements from Enna’s musical life converge in the Violin Concerto: his background as a violinist and his deep connection to opera meet the tradition of Nordic national romanticism. While Symphony No. 2 may be considered conservative for its era, it is abundantly rich in its continuous melodic flow, creating an immediately impactful experience.

Christina Gustafsson - Moments Free (2007)
Label: Porophone | MP3 @ 192Kb/s | 72.5 MB
Genre: Vocal-Jazz

"Moments Free" is Christina's long-awaited debut album and it's scheduled for release on the 19th of April. All songs but one are written or co-written by Christina and she is superbly backed up by her own band as well as the likes of Daniel Karlsson (piano), Per-Erik Domargård (vocals) and Magnus Lindgren (sax, clarinet, flute). Magnus has also produced the album together with Christina.

Although the 37-year-old singer Christina Gustafsson has been performing in her native Sweden for quite a few years, Moments Free is her long overdue recording debut. She wrote all but one selection (the pop song "Daydream") and sings throughout in English without any real accent. The music is certainly diverse, from swinging jazz and ballads to folk music and pop that slightly recalls Norah Jones. Gustafsson's voice is quite attractive and flexible, and she shows consistent enthusiasm, clearly loving singing. In addition, her lyrics are quite intelligent and occasionally insightful. Her backup group is impressive, with guitarist Max Schultz getting a fair amount of solo space and the musicians having a very good feel for her originals. Clearly Christina Gustafsson has a potentially significant future, no matter which direction she ultimately decides to take.