Conductor

”The music is not just positive; it's joy-creating" - conversation with conductor David Björkman 

David Björkman served as concertmaster in the symphony orchestra in the late 90s and has a strong relationship with both Norrlandsoperan and the work "Pride and Prejudice." For almost 25 years, he has worked as an opera conductor and arranger. He conducted the premiere of "Pride and Prejudice" and was responsible for adapting the opera so that what Daniel Nelson originally composed for a chamber orchestra could now be performed by the entire Norrlandsoperan symfoniorkester.

What is your relationship to "Pride and Prejudice"?
I'm a real film nerd, I must admit. A genre I'm particularly fond of is romantic comedies, and the different versions of "Pride and Prejudice" rank very high on my favorites list because you get everything of the highest quality – dialogue, depth, and fantastic characters. It wasn't until we did the chamber version in Vadstena that I read the book for the first time.

You have worked with several newly written operas, including "Pride and Prejudice." What attracts you to newly composed music?
When we premiered the work in Vadstena in 2011, I had already worked there with premieres of several different chamber operas. I appreciate the intense and educational experience that the academy there provides for young singers and musicians. Premieres have perhaps become a bit of my niche. I like problem-solving and the process itself, and of course, the opportunity to influence and shape a new work. For example, in "Pride and Prejudice," we constantly need to work on the relationship between the music and the comedic timing in the text, so we have spent a lot of time tweaking small moments. I really like that.

How would you describe Nelson's music, and the music in "Pride and Prejudice"? Daniel Nelson's music is positive, engaging, and rhythmically driven. It's not just positive; it's joy-creating, and I would claim that he makes life a bit better with his music. He is sometimes shamelessly turned towards our audience, in that he wants to invite them in and keep them engaged. He demonstrates this with his melodies that you absolutely hum on the way home because it is so skillfully and giftedly written. We have collaborated a lot, so I feel that I have his trust to shape the music the way I believe he wants it.

Comedic timing, tell us more about that?
It is a lot of spoken text, and that's why Daniel wants to call it "opéra comique." It's exchanges of lines in short segments between and during the scenes, and the instrumentation should make room for dialogue, something that is an ongoing effort. So I have created small bubbles where the spoken lines should fit. The comedic timing must be built into the entire musical progression. It's like for a good lighting designer, you know that "this person must stand at this point to be seen."

What are you looking forward to in playing "Pride and Prejudice" again? In my opinion, every opera should tell a good story, and here you have one of the very best. Moreover, there is a lot of laughter and delight for the ears; it's beautiful and constantly interesting. I look forward to offering the audience a true classic with modern music that sounds classical, with a twist. The final phrase in the opera is "We say yes to love." I believe that is exactly what we all need right now.

Pride and Prejudice. Conductor David Björkman.