After the concert with Gunnar Eriksson, Bengt Hallberg, me and choir.

It's a very rare thing to encounter a musician like Bengt Hallberg. Tonight he was playing with all the brilliance, timing, and sence of playing only what's important and nothing else, the way it's earned only after such a long carreer. A long life of experiences. When a life long committment to the music really grows year by year. It was shining through his very playing. If it's possible to talk about sound as shining with light, this is it. He definitely grasped the whole piano, with both power and precision. So musical, so deep of invention. His harmonies of Ack Värmeland du sköna, I will forever remember this.

Gunnar was at the height of his artistry as well, I believe the two inspired each other tonight. When he was conducting the choir Göteborgs Kammarkör it was like the music became visible in his hands, you could see the sounds and timbre. For the second part of the concert I could sit and listen, enjoy, open every fiber to recieve this unique moment of music. The choir + Bengt + Gunnar did wonderful takings of Evert Taube and Lars Gullin, many songs by each one of the composers. In this part I was just listening.

I was also very inspired. One example, even if there was many golden moments. On the rehersal we did ok, but in the concert, there was something very special coming out of the Anna Sjöbom song: En gång i bredd med mig. I don't know how many times I've sung this song, but it came out tonight like it was brand new to me, when Bengt was doing the intro and playing with. It was a 100% intense moment. In the first half of the concert we did our folk music set, with Lys morgonstjärna + Gläd dig du kristi brud, Bered en väg för herran, Jag vet en dejlig rosa, En gång i bredd med mig, Å att jeg kunne, Gjendines bådnlåt, Till Österland vill jag fara.

After the concert we started travelling back to Göteborg in the worst snow storm we've had so far this winter. Almost impossible to have any kind of vision of the road! But all the way back to the city we talked and agreed on how great the contribution of Bengts piano playing was for tonight's concert. He's really fit for plaing. I've seen on wikipedia he's recorded an album this year, and yet another one 2010. So he's doing a great come back after 9 years of a break.

Things he's done in his carreer is somehow too many to start to mention, but at least I can say he's composed the song for Madicken-movie, and tv serie Den vita stenen. He's got a list of about 60 different albums (with many famous jazz musicians) recorded says wikipedia, starting från 1950 and on uptil our days. He's born in 1932. A truly amazing musician.

It will be a little difficult to unwind and fall asleep tonight, I get so many new ideas in my head. And maybe it's also because of the 5 cups of coffée I had today wich is a rather high doze for me...but it doen't matter on such a special day.

Eva