Jacob Mühlrad Premieres REMS at The Konserthuset Stockholm

Jacob Mühlrad premieres "Rems" at the Konserthuset Stockholm. The two performances will inaugurate the venue's new concert season.

Jacob Mühlrad is one of Sweden's most acclaimed composers, also highly respected internationally for his groundbreaking work with the choir. Since 2020, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm has been collaborating with Jacob Mühlrad on two major orchestral works, the first of which, REMS, will be premiered this September 16th.

REMS (rapid eye movement sleep) speaks of different aspects of our unconscious dream state. Inspired by the universality of sleep, Mührlad composed this piece channeling not only the (still) mysterious energy of the unconscious, but also the ways in which different cultures, religions and traditions have interpreted this omnipresent state of being. "While some of the 'soundscapes' are taken from dreams, I have also been inspired by the Jewish faith's notion of sleep - that soul and body are two separate parts. Regardless of culture, sleep has always been strongly symbolically charged. Musically, in REMS I have created a dreamy sound fabric with underlying embroidered ornaments. Some of them come from lullabies. When the dreams have calmed down, the breathing can be heard - in and out," explains Mühlrad.

REMS will be conducted by the Spaniard Pablo Heras-Casado who performs regularly with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. The visuals for the concert are created by the notable Swedish photographer and art director, Alexander Wessely who has a multidisciplinary body of work that comprises photography, film and sculpture.

Jacob Mühlrad, born in 1991, is one of Sweden's most celebrated art music composers, rapidly emerging as one of the most recognized contemporary composers in Scandinavia. His work has been performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York and Bamberg Hall in Germany. Mühlrad has collaborated with pioneering soloists Martin Fröst and Johannes Rostamo and has also experimented with pop music collaborations, together with artists like the Swedish House Mafia and rap artist Silvana Imam. An essential aspect of Jacob Mühlrad's music is a sense of the eternal. Mühlrad has written extensively for chamber ensembles and orchestras. His choral music is a very distinctive and important element of his work, and through it he has been able to achieve a unique expression of the mystical aspect of Jewish tradition. Mühlrad deals with themes of mortality, of the human condition, of tradition and of the holy and is known for infusing archaic and pious music with a brilliant modernity and sense of youthfulness. His debut album Time marries rhythm and words to the existential questions of humanity, and in that fusion Jacob attempts to understand the incomprehensible and express the infinite through new sounds.

More information and tickets here: https://www.konserthuset.se/program-och-biljetter/kalender/konsert/2021/rems/

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