Press

Album: Nordic Choral Music

 

Beautifully performed, often folk-inspired works by Mäntyjärvi, Nørgård, Sandström, Rautavaara and others, testament to choral music’s place at the heart of Nordic culture.

 

BBC Music Magazine, May 2021

Album: Sacred Treasures | Music from Düben Collection

The Academy Chamber Choir of Uppsala and the Uppsala Consort under the direction of Stefan Parkman excel in music by Schütz, Tunder, Buxtehude, Vesi and Quagliati which in its vibrant beauty conveys the sensation of how all the horrors of the thirty-year war have faded away like morning stars.

 

Dagens Nyheter, 13.09.2020


Parkman & WDR Radio Choir in Neuss

Stefan Parkman and the WDR Radio Choir combined two of the greatest works of a cappella choral music of the 20th century into a completely convincing musical unit. In Frank Martin's Mass for two four-part choirs five movements from Alfred Schnittke's Twelve verses of repentance for mixed choir were integrated in alternation [...]. Parkman brought the singing and artistic qualities of his choir to many climaxes.

 

Rheinische Post, Hansgeorg Marzinkowski, 07.10.2019

 

 

Messiah in Mozart version with WDR Radio Choir

 

Stefan Parkman focussed on the subtle and piano tones, virtuoso but loose lightness and elegance. The few dynamic peaks in the Halleluja and Amen, which Parkman took spectacularly slow in comparison to his otherwise rather speedy tempo turned out instead even more emphasised.

The WDR Choir and WDR Radio Symphony provided a flawless performance in terms of agility, beauty of tone and intonation.

 

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Markus Schwering, 15.12.2015

Successful debut with WDR Radio Choir

 

Right from the start in his debut concert, Stefan Parkman as chief conductor of the WDR Radio Choir succeeded to set individual accents. He is able to regulate a differentiated and detailed sound shaping and to communicate his own obvious enthusiasm for the matter.

 

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, 15.09.2014

Serenade with Jazz with WDR Radio Choir and Big Band

 

The choir demonstrated that music without Big Band can be very alive. Hallelujah by Robert Sund hazarded a “Spiritual mortale”: the voices snapped in and out and the singers moved strenuously in twisted rhythms (…) Nils Lindberg has written several “night works” for A cappella being first performed, atmospherically dense and modern composed and committedly conducted by Stefan Parkman.

 

Kölnische Rundschau, Olaf Weiden, 20.06.2016

 

 

 

Nordic programme at Chorbiennale Aachen

 

The singers of the WDR Radio Choir captivated the audience with a selection of different songs of Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish composers. Homogeneous in all vocal ranges, perfect in intonation, phrasing and articulation: The choir showed its best side especially with songs by Finn Toivo Kuula and the Swedish composers Hakan Parkman and David Wikander. Enthusiastic applause for a brilliant festival opener.

 

Aachener Zeitung, Pedro Obiera, 02.06.2015

Edlund, Mäntyjärvi, Mendelssohn & Rautavaara with WDR Radio Choir

 

The audience could convince itself of the highest quality of the WDR Radio Choir by literally lighting lights of heaven - "Himmelslichter". Psalms by Mendelssohn were contrasted to Mäntyjärvi's settings of the same texts, a Gloria by Edlund and the first of Duineser Elegien by Rilke set to music by Rautavaara. Under Parkman's exceptionally suggestive direction the choir reacts in a most sensitive way and creates a sound with addictive potential, dragging the listener into a spiritual world of sounds.

 

Neue Ruhr Zeitung, Roland Dymke, 29.10.2012



Diskographie (Auswahl)

Nordic Choral Music
Ola Gjeilo, Jan Sandström, Marten Jansson, Knut Nystedt, Per Norgard, Jörgen Jersild, Nils Lindberg, Einojuhani Rautavaara

WDR Rundfunkchor
Jugendchor der Chorakademie Dortmund
hänssler Classic (2021)

Sacred Treasure:
Musik aus der Düben Sammlung

Schütz, Tunder, Buxtehude, Vesi, Quagliati

 

Academic Choir Uppsala
Solisten des WDR Rundfunkchors

Uppsala Consoert
Footprint Records (2020)


Winter Sounds
Debussy, Poulenc, Mendelsohn

International Christmas Songs

Academy Chamber Choir Uppsala
Karin Dahlberg (Sopran)
Andrew Canning (Orgel)
Footprint Records (2021)

3 Psalms
Felix Mendelssohn, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi

 

Academy Chamber Choir Uppsala
Footprint Records (2012)

Ernst Pepping:
Passionsbericht nach Mätthäus


Rundfunkchor Berlin
Coviello Classics (2008)

 

ECHO Klassik