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THE VANCOUVER SUN
OCTOBER 23-29, 2008
'Best men's choir' set to end world tour in Vancouver • PREVIEW Retired Maestro Robert Sund is conducting the choir throughout the tour BY DAVID GORDON DUKE
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any call Sweden's Orphei Dran gar simply the best men's choir in the world. The group sings for Vancouver audiences Saturday at the Chan Centre, directed by the leg endary Robert Sund. "Maestro Sund is now officially retired from conducting the OD," according to Chor Leoni's Diane Loomer, "but is leading them on this last world tour, with their final concert occurring here in Vancouver.'' Westcoast Life spoke with the mae stro just before he left his home in Swe den.
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It's probably accurate to call you �ne of the great gurus of men's choirs. What will you do now that you're leaving the OD?
A guru
Oh, I don't think of myself as a at all. It's just that I started with the OD as a singer in 1965, and became an associate conductor in 1968, s o I ' v e b e e n a t it r a t h e r a l o n g time.Now I'm officially retired, and although I remain close to the choir, I won't interfere in their business unless they ask me to. I want to continue working and touring so long as my health lasts, and now I have more time for composing and arranging.
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Sweden's Orphei Drangar has a reputa tion as the best male choir in the world.
•AT A GLANCE ORPHEI DRANGAR MEN'S CHOIR Chan Centre for the Performing Arts Saturday, 8 p.m.
music and Baroque style, a much thin ner and more refined sound which made some people anxious at first. Then he too fell in love with the big sound of 80+ men singing together. His innovation was to make the choir think like a string quartet, constantly adjust ing its phrasing. {) What special problems do male '-<5hoirs face?
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The main difficulty is that the Is there an essential difference repertoire is very limited, and �etween men's choirs in North often designed for amateur choirs, so America and in Europe? the music is not always as refined as one might like. And it's hard to assem Again, we have been at it such a ble interesting concerts; the same long time. The tradition goes back pieces tend to come back again and to the 19th century in Sweden and the again. And young people today are not 18th century in Germany. In Uppsala a so eager to sing about drinking and choir was established in 1830. It all goes nationalism. back essentially to the Romantic move Then it is always difficult to find the ment-the first songs were always right balance of voices, which is very about nature, women, and drinking, not different from mixed choirs. You espe necessarily in that order. And the cially need tenors who can sing very choirs got started in the universities, high, and basses who can sing very low. where at the time no women were {) Is the men's choir movement admitted. �oing well in our time? {) Over the long, long haul, how has There are new group s every '-<_!.he OD changed? where. I particularly admire the The great Swedish composer work of Diane Loomer in Vancouver, Hugo Alfven became conductor in whose choir I like very much. The 1910 and stayed for 37 years. He saw the trends everywhere now are for gay choir very much as "an orchestra of men's choruses, and for smaller groups, voices," and concentrated on works of 16 or so, who view themselves not so great scope and nationalist fervour. His much as choirs as singing ensembles. I successor, Eric Ericson, came from the find the results very interesting indeed. very different tradition of chamber Special to The Sun
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Robert Sund, who has officially retired as choir conductor, will nonetheless direct Sweden's Orphei Dran gar in its performance for Vancouver audiences Satur�ay at the Chan Centre.