serikon.org

Acqua Alta

– a concert for the climate

Acqua Alta is a concert project with the aim to re-gain attention to the global climate change. Starting out as an idea by artistic director Daniel Stighäll in 2008 – when the financial crisis had made all the media coverage about climate change to vanish – the project was first realized in 2013 with concerts – including premiere performances of Acqua Alta by swedish composer Jan Sandström and Colour blinds the eye by british composer Alexander Campkin – as well as a CD-recording.

Acqua Alta score

Singers Anna Jobrant & Martin Vanberg

Susanne Brunström Stighäll, Daniel Stighäll, Katharina Bäuml, Judith Pacquier, William Dongois

Back row: Katharina Bäuml, Ann Wallström, Marie-Louise Marming
Front row: Joakim Schuster, Magnus Kjellson, Lars Sjöstedt

Conductor Erik Westberg

Conductor Erik Westberg, Artistic leader Daniel Stighäll & Composer Jan Sandström

Recording Acqua Alta

Recording Acqua Alta

Violin: Marie-Louise Marming, concentrating

Trombonist and Artistic leader: Daniel Stighäll

The keyboardists: Magnus Kjellson & Lars Sjöstedt

Alto violin: Susanne Brunström Stighäll

Cornetto diritto: Judith Pacquier

Harpsichord: Lars Sjöstedt

Viola da gamba: Nora Roll

Viola da gamba: Nora Roll

Composer Alexander Campkin and Conductor Erik Westberg

"Colour blinds the eye"

"Music deafens the ear"

SERIKON

The idea with the project is to present a cultural perspective of the climate issue – in the foreground is the old republic and World Culture Heritage site Venice – with its art , architecture, sculpture and music – and the ancient term Acqua Alta, meaning high water, a phenomenon known in the history of Venice since the 9th century.

Like many other places around the world, Venice is especially threatened to the rising sea-levels, one of the effects of the climate change, and therefore a very prominent example of a cultural treasure humanity can loose if we do not change our way of life, not to mention the environmental damages we also risk.

In Serikon we hope, with this program, to reach out and affect our audience, to make them feel that they too can help improving the situation, and hope is stronger than fear.

To listen to excerpts from the CD, please follow this link:

Since the first concert and CD-production in 2013, the Acqua Alta-concept has been performed numerous times, in different guises, for instance:

– In a smaller setting during the European culture capitol year in Umeå 2014 (September).

– Together with an amateur choir at the Early Music days in Trollhättan (May 2015).

– In collaboration with world renowned Swedish Radio Choir and conductor Olof Boman (April 2015).

Here follows a presentation of the collaboration with the swedish radio choir, together with music by Gavin Bryars:

Conductor Olof Boman, Swedish Radio Choir & Serikon

Meena Alexander reading her poem "Acqua Alta"

Choro acuto: Ann Wallström, Marie-Louise Marming, Susanne Brunström Stighäll & Daniel Stighäll

Poet Meena Alexander & Meteorologist Pär Holmgren

Wind section: William Dongois, Lene Langballe, Daniel Stighäll, Katharina Bäuml

Swedish Radio Choir

Swedish Radio Choir & Magnus Kjellson

Meteorologist and climate expert Pär Holmgren

Swedish Radio Choir and Theorbist Dohyo Sol

Conductor Olof Boman

Swedish Radio Choir and Nora Roll, Dohyo Sol, Frank Pschichholz

Conductor Olof Boman, Swedish Radio Choir & Serikon