Decembersol

A New Christmas

By Esben Tange

Christmas is not only the season of the heart; it is also the time of year when music is allowed to fill our shared lives. If nothing else, then around the Christmas tree, where everyone joins in song.

And what happens when we fall silent and instead listen to Christmas music performed by Dybfølt, blending classical tones with folk music? A whole world of beautiful, atmospheric and surprisingly life-giving music reveals itself.

Dybfølt have delved deep into the Christmas repertoires of Denmark and Sweden, selecting a wonderful combination of beloved classics – from ‘En rose så jeg skyde’ (‘Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming’) to ‘Nu’ det jul igen’ (‘Now It’s Christmas Again’) – as well as rarer seasonal works by Carl Nielsen and Rued Langgaard. To this they add brand new Christmas music by Lena Jonsson, composed far up in Sweden, where even the faintest ray of sunlight is a miracle at Christmastime.

Christmas is closely bound to New Year. That is why Dybfølt’s Christmas album concludes with music linked to the turning of the year, including a magnificent rediscovery: Caroline Recke-Madsen’s ‘Nytårssang’ (‘New Year’s Song’). And since this now-forgotten composer was the daughter of H.C. Lumbye, there is every reason also to include his ‘Champagnegaloppen’ (‘Champagne Galop’). Though originally written for Tivoli’s birthday in August, it has today become a New Year’s favourite!

With ‘Det kimer nu til julefest’ (‘The Bells of Christmas Chime Out’), expectations for the coming festivities are kindled, carried above all by the sound of bells, which here lie as a shimmering carpet beneath Carl Christian Nicolaj Balle’s beautiful hymn tune. One by one, the musicians of Dybfølt step forward as soloists, and gradually ‘Det kimer nu til julefest’ unfolds into a bell-concerto, ringing in both major and minor, forming a striking image of the richness of moods that Christmas embraces.

With ‘Drømmen om Glade Jul’ (‘A Dream of Silent Night ’), Carl Nielsen created a personal fantasy on the Christmas hymn known across much of the world as ‘Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht’. The original melody is tinged with foreign tones that grow organically from the music, a reminder that the Funen-born Carl Nielsen was throughout his life deeply connected to nature. With the early French electronic instrument ondes martenot joining cello and bass, ‘Drømmen om Glade Jul’ acquires a unique floating atmosphere – giving wings to the dream.

In ‘Kimer, I klokker’ (‘Ring Out, Ye Bells’), the ondes martenot again plays a vital role. Its opening otherworldly tones, a rocking triple metre, and Kirstine Elise Pedersen’s heartfelt cello solo create musical poetry of the finest kind. As the ensemble discreetly expands the soundscape, Grundtvig’s prayer ‘Peace came to earth’ is conveyed in wondrous fashion. In music, harmony is always possible.

Quotations from ‘Dejlig er jorden’ (‘Fair Is Creation’), ‘Dejlig er den himmel blå’ (‘Fair Is the Heavenly Sky’), ‘Julen har bragt velsignet bud’ (‘Christmas Has Brought Blessed Tidings’), ‘Det kimer nu til julefest’ and ‘ Glade jul, dejlige jul’ (‘Silent Night, Holy Night’) make Rued Langgaard’s ‘Præludium til juleaften’ (‘Prelude to Christmas Eve’) a veritable musical celebration. Langgaard requested shawms, carillon and passages of ceremonial strictness in his original organ version. This inspired Dybfølt to create a miniature Christmas symphony, with the whole choir joining in with personal fervour. Splendid!

In ‘Skyerne gråne, og løvet falder’ (‘The Clouds Grow Grey and the Leaves Fall’), Henrik Goldschmidt leads us through a klezmer-inspired improvisation on the chalumeau (the clarinet’s forerunner) back to the Middle East, birthplace of the Christmas gospel. In dialogue with Peter Kohlmetz Møller’s refined piano solo, where each tone shines clearly, moments of meditation arise. Though fragile, this music possesses an inner strength that lets us sense what it meant when the little child Jesus came into the world.

The magic continues in ‘En rose så jeg skyde’. Swedish composer Jan Sandström’s modern choral classic arrangement for 12 voices is here interpreted as a solo for ondes martenot. With ethereal tones that seem to materialise in our hearing as if from afar, we are invited into a hidden world – either heavenly above or deep in the soil, where the rose’s roots miraculously take hold.

The romantic P.E. Lange-Müller’s ‘ Gammel julesang’ (‘Old Christmas Song’) is tailor-made for Dybfølt. With five lyrical lines intertwining in harmonic consonance, it is music that brings calm. Its measured, strolling tempo allows time to become one with the Christmas message and the underlying text, expressing the hope that at Christmas we may again become like children.

With ‘Ak, julesne fra Betlehem’ (‘Ah, Christmas Snow from Bethlehem’), Dybfølt revive a seldom-heard hymn by Carl Nielsen. Its sudden modulations give it a fairytale quality, wandering its own path and inviting reflection. In the string trio arrangement, Nielsen’s tones sound organic, and Dybfølt play with such tenderness that the softly falling snow is almost felt. Yet Christmas is also for revelry – and that emerges at the end, when the music suddenly swings more vigorously, as if preparing for a folk jam session.

In ‘Decembersol’ (‘December Sun’), the day seems to awaken with the opening cello tones. When the Swedish polska rhythm fully takes hold with its shifting accents, the music bursts into life, led by Lena Jonsson on violin. ‘Decembersol’ is a hymn to nature and the faint winter light – the foundation upon which Christmas unfolds.

Per Nørgård’s ‘Julens glæde – Himmelfalden’ (‘Christmas’ Joy – from Heaven fallen’), to words by Johannes Møllehave, is a mystical meditation. With just a few notes we follow God’s gaze upon the birth in the Bethlehem stable. That which is otherwise hidden is here intuited in the music’s loving atmosphere. In the version for string trio, violin, cello and bass follow one another like interwoven shadows, the luminous melody given warmth and fullness by the other lines. When all three unite in a shared chorus, we are joined with the greatest mystery.

With three ‘Juletræsdanse’ (‘Christmas Tree Dances’) from Denmark and Sweden, also arranged for string trio, the celebration reaches its climax. In Denmark, the dancing is at its liveliest with ‘Nu’ det jul igen’. In this delicate and sprightly pizzicato version one hears its kinship with the living folk traditions of Fanø. ‘Mössens julafton’ (‘The Mice’s Christmas Eve’) is a popular tree-dance from Sweden and Norway, depicting Christmas in a mouse family. Like much folk music, it has spread far and wide, and in Denmark it is also known under the comic text ‘Mor, jeg skal tisse’ (‘Mum, I need to wee’). With ‘Dingelidong’, we remain in Sweden, where multi-instrumentalist Arvid Svenungsson has created a swinging folk interpretation of this originally English dance.

In true tradition, both solemnity and festivity come together in ‘Nytårspotpourri’ (‘New Year Potpourri’). Led by Henrik Goldschmidt’s sonorous oboe, the New Year is welcomed in with the tones of Andreas Peter Berggreen. Then comes a wild dance with Caroline Recke-Madsen’s ‘Nytårssang’. Accompanied by spoons and sliding bass, the proud melody is given spirited fire. With the pop of a champagne cork and a bass solo, the festivities continue in Lumbye’s ‘Champagnegaloppen’. The tune is passed gaily around between the five musicians of Dybfølt, and by the end, as the music whinnies, it is clear this galop demands to be danced at once.

With Berggreen’s soulful melody ‘Her vil ties, her vil bies’ (‘Here Will I Wait in Silence’) – in a serene interpretation by Kirstine Elise Pedersen and Mathæus Bech – space is created for contemplation and reflection after the intensity of the Christmas and New Year season.