of Lars J. Nilsson

So, I went to see Pain of Salvation live in Gothenburg last Sunday. It’s no big secret they’re one of my favourite bands, although I hesitate to call myself a “fan”. You see, I went to senior high school with Daniel Gildelöw, I have one of the earliest demos on tape from that time, and I actually bought their first album – Entropia - by transfering money to Daniels bank account after which he sent me an album. I feel like I’m a bit… *shrug* beyond fandom.First off, I was aiming for Cafe Caprese for a spot of lunch. However, as it was 5 minutes untill they was to open we investigetad why there was a lot of people in CD-Specialisten across the street. As luck would have it. That was because Pain of Salvation was to sign there, as well as play a short accoustic set. The set was mostly for the fun of it and there’s not much to say about it, if you’re interested you should listen to their album 12:5, which is completely accoustic. But when we had eaten, PoS was finished signing and I caught Daniel to exchange a few pleasantries. But not about the weather.The show was later in Musikens Hus. Nice club feeling. Or was it the few stiff ones I had before? Damn, it is so hard to judge that sort of stuff.Anyway, the setlist was:

• Scarsick
• America
• !
• Nightmist
• Handfull of Nothing
• New Year’s Eve
• Ashes
• Undertow
• This Heart of Mine
• Song for the Innocent
• Chainsling
• Diffidentia
• Flame to the Moth
• Disco Queen
• Encore: Hallelujah (Cohen)
• Encore: Used

Apparently, we got to hear “Song for the Innocent” instead of “Cribcaged”. That was too bad as the energy in the middle of the concert sank a little too low. Otherwise, a very good show. They do give a lot on stage, the energy was terrific. I personally would have liked to hear “Spitfall” and “Cribcaged” or “Enter Rain” from the new album played live. And “Hallelujah” was a rather strange choise, the song is popular in Sweden thanks to a certain Peter Jöback but in a Swedish translation and it’s… Absolutely awful. However, Daniel did get a few points in my book with the comment after the song: “This was a song about religion by Peter Jöback. Or it was a song about sex by Leonard Cohen. I can never remember.” Classic. Also the sound was not top notch. I experiemented with ear plugs, but they cut of everything between the highest trebble and the lowest base no matter how I used them. I believe the sound lacked middle register and as a consequence it didn’t feel as tight, nor as “punchy” as I would have liked it.That’s nitpicking though. T’was a very good show.

The sound of silence.I will tell you about my weekend in Gothenburg, and the Pain of Salvation gig. But… I’m currently working with Eric Ericson Chamber Choir for a production of Brahms Requiem. Which takes my time and energy. However, the concerts are tomorrow and thursday so I’ll be back soon.And yes, they’re going to be bloody good too…

Man… This is magic. Ettore Bastianini, 1958, and Urna Fatale. The entire production can be bought on DVD. Corelli, Tebaldi, Bastianini, Christoff, Capecchi. I used to have it, but stupidely forgot it on a train ride from Lund to Stockholm. I am going to buy it again. Great, great, great stuff.This is where I realized axactly how good Bastianini was. Wait until the cavatina starts (at 4.20 or so), it is almost magical. It does sound as if he’s singing on a slightly too high pressure level at the start though, and if that was generally the case, it might explain why I’ve never really liked him before seing this DVD. Granted, though that I hadn’t heard him very much before it, so that’s highly subjective.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3p6YH0pfYw]What a voice… Oh, and be sure to listen to this as well. Turn up the trebble on your speakers and you’ll go deaf. What a voice…

The weekend is going to be a little bit travelly. Off my Ma’ (Arboga) on saturday, since my Tux is stashed away there, which I need next week when I’m singing Brahms Requiem with Eric Ericssons Chamber Choir and the Royal Symphonic Orchestra. Then to Gothenburg on Sunday to see Pain of Salvation live! Whee! And then back again, damn early on Monday morning.

Dunno, perhaps the title of this post should have been “In (anti-)anticipation of the weekend.

Well, well, well. I hadn’t dawned on me that YouTube was actually being used by Opera-fans as well. Thanks to the Drakmiklos for the tip. Let’s start exploring shall we?I have to start with Wixell. Those of you who now me well, will not be surprised.Tosca, ‘Te Deum‘. Hum, of course. This isn’t the best I’ve heard him sing, some of it comes out with a vibrato with slightly to high amplitute/low frequency for my ears. But that’s nitpicking. Lovely stuff. Listen to his “throw-back”, the echo of his voice in the auditorium. Wheee! If you haven’t heard him sing the part, here’s a starter.Update: The link above no longer works, but here’s the torture scene from the same recording. You get Caballe as well. A bonus![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6U7xZ8CPyU]1979. From Tokyo? With Carreras and Caballe. Same cast as the 1976 Philips recording. Which, incidentially, is the first Opera CD I ever bought. And perhaps still the most listened to.Update: Ah damn, you’ll get a double tap with this first post in the theme. From the same performance, Carreras in ‘E lucevan le stelle‘. By hell! Surprising amount of “body” in the middle registers. Good stuff![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMpD5AMXsb0]

I spent the Weekend at Torpshammar with St Jacobs Chamber Choir. And would you believe it? The proprietors were all whisky fanatics. Or sort of anyway. And they had this thing for Duncan Taylor & Co Ltd. Which is, of course, completely understandable. So, among other things I tasted:

• Invergordon, 39YO (Grain / Highland / Duncan Taylor)
• Bunnahabhain, 33YO (Malt / Islay / Duncan Taylor)
• Bruichladdich, 37YO (Malt / Islay / Duncan Taylor)
• Johnnie Walker Green Label (Vatted Malt)
• Duncan Taylor Regional Blended; Islay (Vatted Malt / Islay)
• Duncan Taylor “The Big Smoke” (Vatted Malt / Islay)

Whee!

So, I went to a crayfish party yesterday with St Jacobs Chamber Choir. It was actualy my first kräftskiva in a very long time. Just to be on the safe side I brought along an extra bottle (75 cl) of my own black currant brännvin for the snaps. It disappeared in no time at all, my boy, that is one thirsty choir.So I guess my headache is justified today.Anway, in order for you all to feel like I’m doing today, here’s how to make your own black currant brännvin:

1. Find a good brännvin to use as base. Everyone I have ever talked to use swedish Brännvin Special. If you use something else, remember that you want a clear, dry, no extra “taste”, brännvin with something like 30% strength. If it is stronger you can add water to take it down.
2. Empty the berries in a closable container. Pour brännvin over them. Just enough to cover the berries. Close the container and put it out of the sun for a week.
3. You should now have a very strongly colored liquid. Almost black. Filter away the brännvin from the berries into a bootle. Now the berries are done, my suggestion is to serve them with ice cream to your friends. Just heat them slowly while stirring in some sugar. Serve hot. Bliss!
4. Close the bottle and leave it for some 4 months at a calm place. This is for any dust escaping your filter to settle at the bottom of the bottle. When it as setled, gently decanter the brännvin, taking care to exclude the dust.
5. Almost there. The result sould be very strongly colored. But it is not the finished product. You need to mix it with more of the brännvin you started with to achieve a good balance between berries and spirit. For black currants you can use about 1 third black current brännvin and 2 thirds new spirit. Altough the bottle I had yesterday was 50/50 which worked nicely as well. It is a mater of taste. You’ll need to try different variants to find the level that suits you.

There you go. Oh, that reminds me: I still have some blue berries, juniper and pors (sorry, I havn’t got my english dictionary at hand) to try out. Excuse me for a moment…