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Between Words and Breath
August 8th at 13:00, Norðurljós

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What happens when we breathe in the rhythm of a 2,000-year-old poem? Can an ancient metrical structure be brought to life in young bodies and connect us to voices from another time?

When we sing, we do more than activate the voice - we engage the body, the breath, and a rhythmic awareness that reaches far back into the past. In the concert Between Word and Breath, the Danish chamber choir Det Unge Vokalensemble (DUVE) explores how music can build bridges across time and braid past and present together through a shared experience of breath, voice and rhythm. At the heart of the programme is the world premiere of Veronika Voetmann’s Phaethon (2026), inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. 
The work retells the myth of Phaethon, who, in his arrogance, loses control of the sun chariot and sets the world ablaze. Drawing on hexameter - the poetic meter of Ovid’s original text - Voetmann transforms ancient verse into musical pulse, carried through the singers’ breathing, recitation, and extended vocal techniques. The result is a work that moves between mythical catastrophe and physical stillness, exploring rhythm as both a force of disruption and restoration. 

To celebrate the premiere of Phaethon, DUVE presents a programme featuring music by Nordic composers Vagn Holmboe and Sven-David Sandström alongside works by Icelandic composers Hildigunnur Rúnarsdóttir, Bára Grímsdóttir, and Anna Þorvaldsdóttir. 

about the performers

Conducted by Poul Emborg, DUVE is an ambitious chamber choir of 24 singers aged 18–35 and has established itself as one of Denmark’s leading young vocal ensembles since its founding in 2009. The choir is dedicated to cultivating the clarity, immediacy, and individuality of young voices while supporting the next generation of professional singers, musicians, and educators. Their mission in sharing Danish choir tradition and seeking international cultural exchange has brought the ensemble to Japan, Greenland, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden and Norway.


programme

Veronika Voetman (b. 1986):
       Historien om Phaethon (2026)

Sven-David Sandström (1942-2019):
       Four Songs of Love (2008)

Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996):
       Sange mod Vårdybet (1968)

Hafliði Hallgrímsson (b. 1941):
       Sónhenda LXXVIII (2010)

Bára Grímsdóttir (b. 1960):
       María, drottins lilja

Anna Thorvaldsdóttir (b. 1977):
        Heyr þú oss himnum á (2005)performers

Det Unge VokalEnsemble · chamber choir

Poul Emborg · c0nductor