Bloodhoof and Artistic Force: the music of Karin Rehnqvist in a new humanistic/scientific perspective

On Wednesday, 5 February, Karin Rehnqvist's acclaimed and award-winning work Bloodhoof will be performed at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH). The work was composed for singer Lena Willemark and ensemble recherche from Freiburg, the performers also at this concert. The concert is also part of "Artistic force - a Humanity Concert Project", with interdisciplinary workshops and seminars connected to the concert.

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The 40-minute work Blodhov ("Bloodhoof") is a monodrama for mezzo-soprano and eight instruments. It is written by Karin Rehnqvist, professor of composition at KMH, for the central artist in the Swedish folk music Lena Willemark and one of Europe's foremost ensembles in contemporary music, ensemble recherche from Freiburg.

The work was premiered in Gothenburg's concert hall in May 2019 in a staging by Svante Grogarn, which we now will be able to take part of in Stockholm.

In Blodhov, Gerður Kristný (b. 1970) presents a story from the Old Norse Poetic Edda. The God Freyr falls in love with the giant woman Gerður. Blodhov is the mighty black horse on which Freyr sends his servant Skirnir to fetch Gerður. Through threats, Freyr catches her and grabs hold of her. But Kristný turns the story around and tells it from the woman Gerður's perspective.

"Sabre-toothed darkness prowled through the firmament. I was reduced to terror."

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The concert with Karin Rehnqvist's Blodhov is combined with seminars and talks in the project "Artistic force", which integrates music, psychology, medicine and the humanities. The starting point is the strong artistic experience that the performance of the musical work evokes.

The seminars are based on the music's ability to promote knowledge acquisition on a deeper level. We learn more when we feel, and when we are affected by a musical work, a part of our emotional brain, the amygdala, is opened. This benefits our awareness and our acquisition of knowledge. The power of music in society is thus underestimated.

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Wednesday, 5 February
Royal College of Music in Stockholm
(Kungl. Musikhögskolan i Stockholm, KMH)
Valhallavägen 105 in Stockholm
Metro/Underground: Stadion

10.30-12.00 Lilla salen
Embodied knowledge and social touch.
Eva Bojner Horwitz, professor of music and health (KMH)
Anna Rosén, PhD student at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH)
Bruna Petreca, Associate Professor at the Royal College of Art in London
[The seminar will be held in English]

13.30-15.00 Lilla salen
Stress and compassion.
Walter Osika, Associate Professor, cardiologist and psychiatrist, Karolinska Institutet (KI)
[The seminar will be held in Swedish]

16.00-17.30 Room 1E207
About the work Blodhov.
Karin Rehnqvist, composer and professor of composition (KMH)
Gerður Kristný, poet
John Swedenmark, translator
[The seminar will be held in English]

19.00 Royal Hall
Concert: BLODHOV ("BLOODHOOF")
Music by Karin Rehnqvist.
Text: Gerður Kristný in Swedish interpretation by John Swedenmark.
Staging: Svante Grogarn.
Lena Willemark, vocals.
ensemble recherche, Freiburg

The concert is recorded by the Swedish Radio P2.

Free entrance.
The concert is already fully booked, but a number of additional tickets will be available via Billetto from Thursday 30 January.

No ticket required for the seminars. Limited number of seats – please arrive well in time.

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For more information:
Karin Rehnqvist, composer, professor of composition (KMH)
karin.rehnqvist@kmh.se
0703-00 51 15

Eva Bojner Horwitz, professor of music and health (KMH)
eva.bojner-horwitz@kmh.se