Nicolai Dunger Sings Edith Södergran

Nicolai Dunger talks about the album:

"When I was 17 or 18, I found a book on my brother's shelf called Edith Södergran's Collected Poems. I was fascinated that I actually enjoyed reading them and felt I could understand them. I started singing 'Tills dagen svalnar' and learned some new guitar chords at the same time. The E sus chord made a difference, you could say. Then it just took off on its own. Like reading a phone book - melodies seemed to be woven into her texts, so it was very easy.

What turned out to be difficult was getting people to listen to these songs. It would take about 20 years before these verses were recorded. My mother died in 2003, and after that I went back a lot in my life - then it felt natural to return to my first attempts at composing. The only difference was that I was 36 years old and had more life experience. So this little detour meant a lot in recording Edith's poems.

Being able to record the album in an old ammunition factory where my mother was born mattered. Singing and recording in Swedish and playing with American drummer Tim Barnes (Royal Trix, Sonic Youth), as well as Mats Schubert on piano, all contributed. The list is long. The list is also long for all the albums I've made in my life, but I believe my Edith Södergran arrangements will live the longest - because they are, oddly enough, the most personal I have ever recorded."

The opening band for the evening is Filipsson Gamba Rangstad. The trio debuted in spring 2024 on the ST4T label in a context with artists such as Ossler and Christian Gabels 1900, and performed live with artists including Vasas Flora and Fauna, Dolce, and Frida Hyvönen. The members were already well-established on the Swedish music scene before their debut, and since then the band's music has been featured in both Sveriges Radio and SVT.