Jan Sandström

Biography

Jan Sandström (born 25 January 1954) is a Swedish classical music composer. His compositions include the so-called Motorbike Concerto for trombone and orchestra and his choral setting of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen.

Career

Born in Vilhelmina, Västerbotten County, Sandström grew up in Stockholm. He studied at the Luleå University of Technology's Piteå School of Music (1974–1976) and completed his music training at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm, studying music theory (1978–1982) and composition with Gunnar Bucht, Brian Ferneyhough and Pär Lindgren (1980–1984).
He joined the faculty of the Piteå School of Music in the 1980s and was appointed professor of composition in 1989.
In 1988 to 1989 he composed his first concerto for trombone and large orchestra, which became famous as the Motorbike Concerto, revised in 2002 to a Motorbike Odyssey. In 1990 he composed Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Det är en ros utsprungen), placing the familiar Praetorius setting in slow motion in an eight-part a cappella setting.
In 1991 he completed Från Mörker till Ljus (From Darkness to Light) for reader, baritone and chamber orchestra, based on poems by Folke Isaksson, were inspired by an altarpiece from Antwerp in Gammelstad, with a focus on the Passion. The poems are partly spoken, partly sung, some accompanied by the orchestra; the tenth of 14 movements, Klarheten (Clarity), is purely orchestral. The work was recorded in 2002 with the singer of the premiere, Peter Mattei, speaker Sven Wollter and the Norrbotten Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Petter Sundkvist.
In 2008 his Rekviem (Requiem) on a Swedish text by Christine Falkenland was first performed at Stockholm's Hedvig Eleonora Church. A review summarised: "99% Pärt, 1% Bach".
In 2009 his ballet The Tale of a Manor was recorded on DVD by the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jonas Dominique.
In October 2013, a new choral work entitled Do what is fair was first performed in Uppsala Cathedral, as part of the Young Cathedral Voices festival. This new setting by Sandström of a text from Deuteronomy, for four choirs and four organs, was performed by choirs from Uppsala, Trondheim, Warsaw, Cologne, Llandaff, Riga and Solothurn.

Concertos

A dance in the subdominant quagmire for soprano recorder and string orchestra, 1994
Flute Concerto, 2008
Clarinet Concerto, 2001
My assam dragon, alto saxophone concerto, 1994 (for John-Edward Kelly)
Trumpet Concerto No. 1, 1987 (for Håkan Hardenberger)
Trumpet Concerto No. 2, 1993/96 (for Håkan Hardenberger)
Trumpet Concerto No. 3, 2007 (for Ole Edvard Antonsen)
Trombone Concerto No. 1, Motorcykelkonserten, 1988–89 (for Christian Lindberg)
shortened version: A short ride on a motorbike, 1989
revised version: A motorbike odyssey, 2002
Trombone Concerto No. 2, Don Quixote, 1994 (for Christian Lindberg)
Ecos de eternidad, concerto for two trombones, 2009
The Lemon House, Tuba Concerto, 2004
Piano Concerto No. 1, 1995
Bona Spey, Piano Concerto No. 2, 2001

Orchestra

Era, 1979–80
Snowflakes for chamber orchestra, 1980/84
Acintyas for string orchestra, 1986
Indri, 1988/89
Kejsarvisan, 1993
Ocean child, 1999/2004

Opera

Bombi Bitt, 1991–92
Macbeth², 1996
K. Beskrivning av en kamp (K. description of a fight), 2005
God Natt Madame!, 2009

Choral

Det är en ros utsprungen (Praetorius/Sandström) for two mixed choirs a cappella, 1990
Sanctus for male or female choir, 1990, version for mixed choir 1993
Te Deum (1996) for choir and orchestra
Biegga luohte for mixed choir, 1998
Across the bridge of hope for soloist and for mixed choir, 1999
Ett svenskt requiem for choir, soloists and small orchestra, 2007, text by Christine Falkenland
The word became flesh, 2010
Do what is fair for two mixed choirs, two treble choirs and four organs, 2012

Chamber music

Wahlbergvariationer for cello and wind quintet, 1990
version for saxophone quartet, 1993
Sång till Lotta for trombone and piano, 1990