Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Sonnets of Darkness and Love (2025)

A powerful live recording of Sandström's final work, blending choral music with Nils Landgren's trombone and vocals.

On October 18, 2018, Danish conductor and former trombonist Mogens Dahl reached out to Nils Landgren with a bold idea: a new choral composition by Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström, written specifically for mixed choir, trombone, and voice. Sandström, despite his illness, embraced the challenge, crafting Sonnets of Darkness and Love - a work inspired by the poetry of Shakespeare, Federico García Lorca, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

Landgren met with Sandström, Dahl, and librettist Jakob Holtze in Stockholm in November 2018, marking the beginning of this extraordinary project. Sandström, though physically weakened, radiated creative energy, and within months, the piece was finished. By May 2019, Sandström shared his music one final time with Landgren and the team at Dalen Hospital. He passed away shortly after, in June, leaving behind one of his most poignant and deeply personal compositions.

Initially scheduled for major premieres at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and Östersjöfestivalen, the project was halted by the pandemic. Years later, Swedish Radio revived the idea, leading to two sold-out performances at Berwaldhallen with the world-renowned Swedish Radio Choir, conducted by Kaspars Putniņš. These concerts, recorded live, became the definitive performance of Sonnets of Darkness and Love.

A moving blend of intricate choral textures, soaring trombone lines, and deeply expressive vocals, this album is a testament to Sandström's legacy and his final artistic statement. Nils Landgren's connection to the work - both as a performer and as a collaborator of the late composer - imbues every note with profound emotion. Sonnets of Darkness and Love is a celebration of music, poetry, and an enduring artistic spirit.

Nils Landgren, trombone, vocals
Swedish Radio Choir
Kaspars Putnins, musical direction

TRACKLIST

1. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Full Many a Glorious Morning
2. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: My Dove
3. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: All Night Long
4. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Oh Secret Voice
5. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Who Still Warms Me
6. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Trombone Solo
7. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: A Garland
8. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Being Your Slave
9. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: This Blazing Light
10. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Until the Day Break
11. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: Awake, O North Wind
12. Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio Choir - Sandström: A Full Moon