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VOS (Voices of Scandinavia) | Conductor: Robert Bennesh
In ”Bright as Crystal”, Swedish composer Stefan Klaverdal offers a radiant and deeply personal contribution to the contemporary choral canon. Performed by the exceptional Vocal Ensemble VOS under the direction of Robert Bennesh, this album blends sacred tradition with modern soundscapes in a shimmering dialogue between the past and present.
Some tracks were composed to celebrate the 900th anniversary of Lund Cathedral, and the works on this album resonate with centuries of sacred music while embracing a distinctly modern voice. Klaverdal’s style moves effortlessly between minimalistic clarity and romantic warmth, echoing influences from American minimalism, Eric Whitacre, and Morten Lauridsen, as well as the spiritual depth of Arvo Pärt and the lush harmonies of Sergei Rachmaninov.
The music — alternating between a cappella purity and subtle electronic textures — creates an immersive sound world where light, space, and reverence converge. At its core, ”Bright as Crystal” is a reflection on time, silence, and the organic beauty of the human voice in communion.
This is not just a recording — it is a sonic architecture of devotion, crafted for both the sacred space and the contemplative listener.
Tracks:
När tiden var inne (2009)
”When the time came” is a piece for choir and electronics from the oratorio “Living Water” (Cantando) with lyrics by Christine Falkenland. This particular piece is about the baptism of Jesus by St John.
The oratorio was commissioned by the Lund Cathedral and the National Swedish Church 2008.
The Tree of Life (2020)
Revelation 22:1-2 is here rendered as a choir piece. The two beautiful sentences is both like a painting and miniature operatic setting, and the music somehow flows with the rhythm of the text.
Commissioned by Ängelholm Vocal Ensemble and the Swedish Church of Ängelholm.
Hör rösten från himlen (2009)
”Hear the voice from heaven” is a piece from the oratorio “Living Water” with lyrics by Christine Falkenland. The compelling setting is the actual baptism of Jesus when there is a voice from heaven saying that “this is my son”. Part of the same commission as above.
God be in my head (2024)
God be in my head is a very old prayer from the 11th century Sarum Missal.
Alleluia Levita Laurentius (2023)
Being one of the patron saints of Lund Cathedral, this was a natural choice of text when writing ”Vid porten (At the Gate), an oratorio to the celebration of the 900 year anniversary of the church. St Laurentius shared the honor with Holy Virgin Mary. In this particular piece the introduction is made with electronics, creating a connection between past and present. The melody comes from a missal actually created in Lund Cathedral around the time of its conception. The whole oratorio was commissioned by Lund Cathedral with support from Stiftelsen Signatur.
Rosa Rorans Bonitatem (2012)
Lyrics by Nicolaus Hermanni, this hymn was originally part of the canonical hours prayers relating to the Swedish saint Birgitta. Here in a setting for choir and electronics originally written to be performed in St Birgittas home church Vadstena cathedral.
Jag såg en ängel (2012)
Revelations 20:1-3 I saw an angel. The lyrics speak about how an angel throw satan down into the abyss. The music thus falls throughout the piece, starting in a normal singing position but ending pretty low and in a question mark. Originally composed as a part of a larger work consisting of sound art, theatre and music.
Sprickan (2023)
”The Crack” In the Lund Cathedral there is a very old statue of the Holy Virgin Mary in wood. When writing this piece I had this statue in mind, thinking about how it has seen times and people come and go throughout the centuries. The lyrics by Åsa Maria Kraft from ”enkel cellulosa” (Bonnier) speaks about the double nature of darkness, being both a concealment and a possibility for light to fill it. This piece is also part of ”Vid porten”
Gud är ljus (2009)
God is light, from the oratorio “Living Water” (as above) with lyrics by Christine Falkenland. A meditative celebration of sorts.
Allt är så underligt fjärran idag (2012)
“Everything is so strangely distant today” is a poem by Nobel laureate Pär Lagerkvist about the serenity of autumn. Commissioned by Saxenborn Singers.
Sub tuum praesidium (2023)
This very old prayer to the Virgin Mary is still in use in the Catholic church. The content starts low key but transforms and ends joyously. This is reflected in the music, starting with a long very soft passage without sopranos, but ends in a joyous music with the text “Virgo gloriosa et benedicta”. This piece is also part of ”Vid porten”
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Stefan Klaverdal is an award-winning Swedish composer and sound artist working with both concert music and sound installations. His works is frequently performed internationally and have won awards such as the IMEB Prize in Bourges and the Prince Eugen Culture Prize. He has composed six chamber operas, music for the 900th anniversary of Lund Cathedral. Klaverdal is co-artistic director of Göteborg Art Sounds and the In Between Music Festival, as well as Head of Music and Performing Arts at RAVINEN in Båstad.
VOS is a mixed chamber choir based in Lund and Malmö in Sweden. The choir was founded in 2015 (as Malmö Live Vokalensemble), but became VOS after a name change in 2017. Since 2018 VOS is partly based in Lund Cathedral where the choir’s previous conductor and artistic director, Robert Bennesh, was director of music.
Robert Bennesh (b. 1986) is a Swedish choral conductor and organist, previously director of music at Lund Cathedral 2016-2024 and currently organist/choir master at Uppsala Cathedral, the national cathedral of Sweden. During Robert’s tenure in Lund he developed a wide-ranging choral program for all ages, of which VOS was the advanced vocal ensemble. VOS and Robert had a focus on performing contemporary music, not at least during the 900th anniversary of Lund Cathedral in 2023 when the ensemble was a crucial part of the collaboration with composer Stefan Klaverdal resulting in the oratorio Vid porten (At the gate). Bennesh earned degrees in church music and organ performance from Malmö Academy of Music, the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen and Yale University, USA.
Recorded in Lund Cathedral and Holmby church 2024. p&c by dynamik – ljud och musikproduktion.