I don’t know how I did it. There it is, a lowly stack of staff paper that is the three-act opera Anders och Emma Zorn, which premieres July 10-25 at @konsertladan @vattnaskonsertlada Back in September I finished The Wanderers, spent a month hunting and working on a dance piece, then in late October dove fully into composing this work to the debut libretto of @annalarssoncontralto The next eight months were an absolute whirlwind of composing a 2 hour 20 minute opera, workshops with singers, meetings with librettist and dramaturg, and total immersion. I must have been able to channel something of the work ethic and confidence of the opera’s subject, master artist Anders Zorn who could work at breakneck speed, trusting his incomparable eye and hand. I trusted our vision for the work and my musical voice. It all started with a little motive of three Stass, and with a little piece of an aria accompaniment that flowed in small repetitive figures, color rhythm and light, like the incomparable water surfaces in a Zorn painting. I found them on the piano and wrote them down and they became everything. The last two months have been a marathon of orchestration, painting in full color with the twelve person orchestra. As I type this the singers and conductor are rehearsing in stockholm and I am making parts in Dalarna, and @miw0sh will work on the score editing when he wakes up. I am so fortunate to work with Anna Larsson - our librettist/director/elder Emma Zorn - and an incredible team. Impresario and Elder Anders @tenorgoran Dramaturg Patrik Sörling @patriksproduktion , costumer Gabriella Wetter Burman @gwetterburman , conductor Cecilia Martin-Löf @ceciliamartinlof1 , light designer Jimmy Svensson The incredible vocal talents of Julia Lindgren @juliagunvor Fredrik Hagerberg @fredrik.hagerberg Ingrid Tobiasson, Anders Larsson, Carolina Bengtsdotter Ljung @carolinabengtsdotter Helgi Reynisson @helgi_reynisson Alva Olsson @sopranalva Marcus Bartoletti @telramund Henrik Fröst @benke_borg333 and Emily Andersson @emilyandersson.soprano Finally, thanks to @kulturradet.se and @svenskatonsattare for helping to fund the commission #opera #composer

I have a thing with coffee cups, you can call it a ritual, a superstition, whatever. When the cups start stacking up, lots of work is getting done. In this case I am finishing up an opera for @konsertladan . If the desk is clean, I’m either starting fresh, or things are going badly. When things are going well, the coffee cups don’t go back in the house until absolutely necessary. You don’t mess with a streak. #composer

Berwaldhallen släppte idag biljetter till nästa säsongen 26-27. Om du gillar planera långt i förväg kan du köpa biljetter till 20-21 maj 2027 då @sverigesradiossymfoniorkester Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester ska uruppföra en ny verk som jag ska komponera någon gång innan dess. Vi ses där om ett år! #composer

A little workshop for our new opera Anders & Emma Zorn - featuring the great Göran Eliasson, pictured. #opera #composer