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COMING IN SPRING 2007 TO DEUTSCHES HAUS,
420 West 116th Street, New York City A NEW BOOK ON SWEDISH IDENTITY, DANISH POETRY, AND A SCANDINAVIAN VOCAL ENSEMBLE SCHEDULED BY COLUMBIA’S SWEDISH PROGRAM THIS SPRING |
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A varied program of Nordic cultural events including a discussion of a new book on Swedish identity by one of its authors,
a reading by a prize-winning Danish poet, and a choral concert by a Scandinavian vocal ensemble will be presented in spring
2007 by the Swedish Program of Columbia University.
All of the events will be presented at Deutsches Haus, at 420 West 116th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive in New York City. The public is invited, and admission is free. |
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Are Swedes Human?
The first event, set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13, 2007, will be a talk in English by historian Lars Trägårdh, co-author of a book with the provocative title Are Swedes Human? Community and Individualism in Modern Sweden. Written together with Swedish historian/journalist Henrik Berggren, the book was published in Sweden in the autumn of 2006 to favorable reviews in print and media. Its premise is that the supposedly "socialist" Swedes are in fact true individualists, as devoted to personal autonomy as to economic equality. At the heart of this social compact is what the authors call "a Swedish theory of love," according to which authentic love and friendship are possible only between individuals who are independent and equal. Lars Trägårdh is a professor at Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden and formerly taught in the history department of Barnard College and at Columbia University. |
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On the Road Again
The second Deutsches Haus program of the season presented by the Swedish Program will be a reading by Danish poet Thomas Boberg, with translations of his poems by Verne Moberg read in English by New York actor Thom Sesma. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, 2007. Featured in the reading will be a piece entitled "Fragments from the Confessions of My Marionette" and poems from several of Boberg's collections including Life Style, A Standing Agreement, Poems en Route, and other volumes. Since his literary debut in 1984 Thomas Boberg has produced a number of volumes, of which the first ten have been published in two inexpensive editions: I firserne (In the Eighties) and I halvfemserne (In the Nineties). En stående aftale (A Standing Agreement), his eleventh collection, was published in 2002 and issued the following year as a CD, with the poet reading in Danish and Thom Sesma reading the English translations by Verne Moberg. Most recently the collection called Digte på vejen (Poems en Route) was published (in 2004). Boberg has traveled widely—in the United States, India, Italy, Spain, and South America--and written travel books: Sølvtråden: Rejseminder (The Silver Thread: Travel Memoirs) and Americas (Americas), which won him a nomination for the Literary Prize of the Nordic Council. He lived abroad in Peru for some years but moved back to Denmark in 2003. |
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Singers from the North
A Scandinavian vocal ensemble from Boston named Stämbandet will give a concert at Deutsches Haus scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2007. At Columbia Stämbandet will sing authentic folk music from Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Finland in native languages. Much of the repertoire features vocal traditions unique to Scandinavia, including "trall" singing--vocalists imitating fiddlers playing dance music (a practice compared with scat singing). Founded in 1978, Stämbandet includes thirteen singers from Scandinavia with a reputation for excellence both as an a cappella ensemble and a World Music vocal group. Presenting songs rarely heard outside of Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, this captivating vocal band often breaks into six- and seven- part harmonies sung in six languages. Led by Allen LeVines, musical director since 1985, Stämbandet performs a wide range of a cappella folk traditions unique to Scandinavia. Even within Scandinavia there are few vocal ensembles solely dedicated to the preservation and performance of traditional Nordic song, for American-influenced "pop" styles have taken over and continue to dominate not just Scandinavia, but virtually the world. |
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For further information about Stämbandet and the other spring 2007 programs at Deutsches Haus: Tel: 212-854-4015; e-mail: [email protected] |
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