I Guds Ljus (In the Light of God)

“I asked my friend, the poet Einar Askestad, if he could write a poem for me about love between father and son, brothers, and God. I felt that these forms of love are seldom sung about. The poem moved me greatly, and I have tried to put music to these words which is simple yet full of beauty. In the four movements of this suite-like piece, various aspects of these relationships are conveyed.” (Mårten Jansson) “My music is my own, and I have never tried to be original. That has always been my motto, and I have only tried to use music to express all the feelings which life has to offer. This has led people to describe my music as ‘so sad that it sounds like birds who have lost their wings’ but also as ‘the happiest classical music that we have ever heard.’ My compositions are almost all sacred. They express not only my own faith but also my appreciation and respect for the timeless texts that have been used for centuries and centuries.” Mårten Jansson (b. 1965), elected member of the Föreningen svenska tonsättare (the Society of Swedish Composers), graduated from the Royal College of Music, Stockholm (KHM) with an MFA degree in Music Education, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and Voice. For more than ten years, he was the music director and conductor of “Carmen,” one of the most prominent women’s vocal ensembles in Sweden. He currently teaches choral conducting and music theory as well as giving vocal tuition at the Bolandgymnasiet and Musikskolan in his hometown of Uppsala.