Information
Swedish music, mostly in a summer mood, is the theme of the second CD with Uppsala Vokalensemble. Two new compositions by Matthew Peterson and arrangements of old Scandinavian folksongs. Soloist on nyckelharpa (key fiddle) is the master musician Josefina Paulson.
Den blomstertid nu kommer, arr. Elias Castegren
Sommar i bergen, Matthew Peterson Noter: Sommar i bergen
Den blida vår är inne, arr. Gunnar Eriksson Noter: Den blida vår
Bruremarsj fra Valsøyfjord, arr. Grete Pedersen, Henning Sommerro
Härlig är jorden, arr. Tomas Jönsson Noter: Härlig är jorden
Gjendines bådnlåt, arr. Gunnar Eriksson Noter: Gjendines bådnlåt
Trilo, arr. Bengt Ohlén
Vallvisa (Limu limu lima), arr. Hugo Alfvén
Ljusfälten, Matthew Peterson
I denna ljuva sommartid, arr. Anders Öhrwall
Uven, Josefina Paulson
Eklundapolskan, arr. Lisa Rydberg
Plus solo on nyckelharpa: Polska after Futturi Petter and Första polskan.
Footprint Records:
Composer Matthew Peterson, nyckelharpist Josefina Paulson and the Uppsala Vocal Ensemble invite you deep into Swedish nature, literally and figuratively. Footprint Records is proud to present Fields of Light – an exploration of Sweden’s folk traditions, its distinctive light from dawn to dusk and the strain of melancholy that lies underneath its national songs and dances.
Peterson’s mystical settings of verses by the Finnish poet Edith Södergran (1892-1923) range from nuanced, minor-key nocturnes to frolicking dances, all of them woven with the plaintive, resonant thread of Josefina Paulson’s nyckelharpa – the ‘keyed fiddle’ that is Sweden’s national folk instrument. In between, Paulson’s instrument leads renditions of Swedish folk songs for all seasons, sung in evocative arrangements.
Peterson is an award-winning Swedish-American composer known for his work on both sides of the Atlantic. He describes Södergran’s poems as ‘lyrical and free, rich in colour and detail,’ an apt description of his own atmospheric and deeply absorbing choral music, which uses much more than the vocal chords to evoke its broad, luminous landscapes. His works are sung here by a radiant, precise and beautifully blended Uppsala Vocal Ensemble under musical director and principal conductor since 2011, Sofia Ågren.
In Josefina Paulson, the choir collaborates with one of the most respected exponents of the nyckelharpa and 2016’s World Nyckelharpa Champion. She joined the singers and Ågren in the warm acoustic of Bäringe Church to create a recording that combines atmosphere, resonance and perfection to magical effect.
Sofia Ågren is continually exploring the choir as an instrument, drawn to its limitless possibilities in both sound and expression. She serves as Head of Choral Activities at Stockholms Musikgymnasium/Kungsholmens Gymnasium and has been Artistic Director of the Stockholm Musikgymnasium Chamber Choir since 2023. She also teaches choral conducting and choral methodology at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and, during autumn 2026, will lead the College’s Chamber Choir.
Throughout her career, Sofia has collaborated with leading Swedish vocal ensembles, including the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, the Uppsala Vokalensemble, the Gustaf Sjökvist Chamber Choir, and the Swedish Radio Choir. During her years at Adolf Fredrik’s Music School, she also worked with the Adolf Fredrik Girls’ Choir and the Children’s Chorus of the Royal Swedish Opera. In 2021, she founded her own professional vocal ensemble, Ensemble Å.
Sofia also leads workshops and masterclasses both in Sweden and internationally, including engagements at conservatories in Italy, Slovenia and South Africa.
Sofia Ågren holds a degree in choral conducting from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, as well as a Master of Arts in Education. She has also pursued studies in Musicology and Music Theory at Uppsala University and Stockholm University.