(Click for Danish version below.)
Tekla Griebel Wandall (1866–1940) was considered Denmark’s leading female composer around the turn of the 20th century. Yet not a single one of her more than one hundred works has ever been recorded. She worked on the opera King Hroar’s Skalds for 33 years.
The three-act opera was never performed in her lifetime and remained untouched in the Royal Danish Theatre’s archive until musicologist Thomas Husted Kirkegaard scanned its pages, which eventually made their way to soprano Laura Helene Hansen, winner of the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize. Alongside mezzosopranos Kirsten Voss and Nana Bugge Rasmussen, and pianist Louise Schrøder, she now brings to life the characters of Yrsa, Skulde, and Svafa.
Why is it interesting for you, as a young singer today, to work with an opera written by a female composer in the late 1800s, which has been hidden away for almost 100 years?
“There are many reasons for that, both personal and professional. Professionally, I’m endlessly curious about music history and what it was like to be a woman in this field, both as a creative and as a performing artist. I’m deeply engaged in going back and finding the destinies that, for one reason or another, have been excluded, and then trying to figure out why that happened - so it doesn’t happen again.On a personal level, Griebel’s incredible willpower is a huge inspiration, and I feel a deep sympathy for her story. I can’t imagine using my platform for anything other than lifting her and others like her.”
How do you experience Tekla Griebel Wandall’s musical language?
“Griebel is a massive feeler. She’s so detailed in her emotional expression, and you’re always served a rich blend of human emotions. Honestly, I’ve almost exclusively worked with her vocal music, and there she writes in a way that is both intuitive and wide-reaching. She accommodates many voice types and writes in a way that’s truly missing from the Danish song and opera repertoire. I often describe her opera as a love child between Richard Wagner and Carl Nielsen: the grand, uncompromising sound of Wagner mixed with the beloved, gentle folk-song tradition we know and love from Nielsen.”
What has made the greatest impression on you in Tekla Griebel Wandall’s compositions - has anything surprised you technically, musically, or emotionally?
“What always lingers in me after a rehearsal or performance is a resounding, hollow, angry “why?”. As in - why do we have to fight to give this music a platform? It’s a mystery to me.
It’s probably not exactly what’s meant by the question, but what surprises me the most is without a doubt how good the music is -we’ve been missing it, and we’ve been deprived of it - and that’s what leaves the strongest impression on me.”
What do you think audiences can gain from hearing a work like Kong Hroars Skjalde today - both musically and in terms of the story of the composer?
“Apart from the fact that we are all entitled to the true story of our country’s musical history and heritage, the actual plot of Kong Hroars Skjalde offers a fascinating look into the pressures of traditional gender roles. Griebel was by no means a perfect feminist, but her understanding of the straitjacket that men can feel society forcing them into is thought-provoking and incredibly valuable to see represented on the opera stage. In that way, the story is relevant to our time and to ongoing societal debates.
On top of that, there are multifaceted female characters with lives and histories independent of the male characters - a rarity!
It can’t be stressed enough how beautiful the music is, and I firmly believe that Kong Hroars Skjalde has every potential to be canonized in our Danish opera repertoire - and that’s a task I’m happy to dedicate the rest of my career to.”
Time and place for the concert
- 18 August 20:30
- Copenhagen Opera Festival, Festivalscenen, Den Røde Plads
- Free entrance
- Singers: Kirsten Voss, Nana Bugge Rasmussen, Laura Helene Hansen
- Pianist: Louise Schrøder
- Host: Laura Helene Hansen
- Director: Johanne Holten
- More information here
****************
Hvorfor er det interessant for dig som ung sangerinde i dag at arbejde med en opera skrevet af en kvindelig komponist i slutningen af 1800-tallet, som har ligget gemt væk i næsten 100 år?
"Det er der mange grunde til, både personlige og faglige. Fagligt er jeg evigt nysgerrig på musikhistorie og hvordan det var at være kvinde i denne branche, både som skabende og udøvende kunstner. Det optager mig meget at gå tilbage og finde de skæbner der er blevet sorteret fra på den ene eller anden måde, og så prøve at hitte ud hvorfor det er sket, så det ikke sker igen.På det personlige plan, så er Griebels utrolige viljestyrke en kæmpe inspiration, og jeg har en dyb sympati for hendes historie. Jeg kan ikke forestille mig at bruge min platform på andet end at løfte hende og hendes ligestillede."
Hvordan oplever du Tekla Griebel Wandalls musikalske sprog?
"Griebel er en kæmpe føler. Hun er så detaljeret med det følelsesmæssige udtryk og man bliver altid serveret en nuanceret gryderet af menneskets sind. Hånden på hjertet, så har jeg nærmest udelukkende beskæftiget mig med hendes vokalmusik, og der skriver hun intuitivt og bredt. Hun imødekommer mange stemmetyper og skriver på en måde der virkelig mangler i den danske sang-, og operaskat. Jeg beskriver tit hendes opera som et kærlighedsbarn mellem Richard Wagner og Carl Nielsen; den storslåede, kompromisløse lyd fra Wagner blandet med den folkekære, blide vise tradition vi kender og elsker fra Nielsen."
Hvad har gjort størst indtryk på dig i Tekla Griebel Wandalls kompositioner – er der noget der har overrasket dig enten teknisk, musikalsk eller følelsesmæssigt?
"Det der altid sidder tilbage i mig efter en øver eller en opførsel er et rungende, hult, vredt "hvorfor?". Som i, hvorfor skal der kæmpes for at give den her musik en platform? Det er mig en gåde.Det er nok ikke helt det der menes med spørgsmålet, men det der overrasker mig mest er uden tvivl hvor god musikken er - vi mangler den, og vi er blevet den frarøvet - dét gør størst indtryk på mig."
Hvad tænker du, publikum kan få ud af at høre et værk som Kong Hroars Skjalde i dag – både musikalsk og i forhold til fortællingen om komponisten?
"Udover at vi alle er berettiget den ægte fortælling om vores lands musikhistorie og ophav, så er selve historien i Kong Hroars Skjalde et spændende blik ind i kønsrolle pres. Griebel var på ingen måde en perfekt feminist, men hendes forståelse for hvilken spændetrøje mænd kan føle de bliver presset ned i af samfundet er tankevækkende og højst værdifuldt at få vist på operascenerne. Derigennem er historien relevant for vores tid og igangværende samfunds debat. Udover det, så er der facetrige kvindekarakterer som har liv og historie der er adskilt fra de mandlige karakterer - en sjældenhed!Det kan ikke understreges nok hvor skøn musikken er, og jeg tror absolut at Kong Hroars Skjalde har al potentiale til at blive kanoniseret i vores danske opera repertoire - dette er en opgave jeg gerne påtager mig resten af min karriere."