Polska Travels: Sweden

Swedish folk music for a baroque orchestra

Hurra Barockorkester

with students from Malmö Musikhögskolan

and Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium

Peter Spissky, concertmaster

Mats Edén, 5-string viola d’amore

dir. James Salomon Kahane

“Polska” is not simply an adjective to define something coming from Poland: it is also the name of the arguably most popular form of folk dance in Scandinavia! Soon after its central European Renaissance origin, its peculiar history brought it to Sweden where it peacefully conquered the hearts and dancing feet of nobles and peasants alike.

Polskas are also the protagonists of Krishna Nagaraja’s doctoral artistic research, whose second concert hereby revisits melodies from old Swedish collections as well as traditional variants from Western Sweden, introduced by Rebel’s kaleidoscopic baroque suite, an invitation to dance one just cannot decline.

PROGRAMME

Jean-Féry Rebel (1666-1747)

“Les Caractères de la Danse”

Trad. Swedish arr. Krishna Nagaraja (1975)

“A Swedish suite” (2018)

“Gränser” (2018)
for 5-string viola d’amore and string orchestra