Malena Ernman
Encyclopedia
Sara Magdalena "Malena" Ernman (born November 4, 1970 in Uppsala
, Sweden
) is a Swedish
opera
singer (coloratura mezzo-soprano). Ernman is a versatile artist in her field, who outside the world of opera and operettas also has performed chanson
s, cabaret
, jazz
, appeared in musicals
and she is a performer who's declared that she's very much attracted to the attributes of varité theatre and small, intimate stage rooms. Ernman represented Sweden
at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
in Moscow
, Russia
. Malena Ernman is a member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music
.
, a small town known in Sweden
for producing many musical artists, mainly in jazz
. Ernman was educated at the Royal Academy of Music
in Stockholm
, the Music Conservatory in Orléans
, France
and at the school of the Royal Swedish Opera
. Ernman is married to actor Svante Thunberg. They have two daughters, Greta and Beata.
), Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini (Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Opera Stockholm, Finnish National Opera), the title role in Carmen
(Royal Opera Stockholm), Kaja in Sven-David Sandström’s Staden (Royal Opera Stockholm) and Zerlina in Don Giovanni
(Staatsoper Berlin/Barenboim).
She has worked with René Jacobs in Berlin, Brussels, Innsbruck, Vienna and Paris in roles like Nerone in Agrippina, Roberto in Scarlatti’s Griselda
, Diana in Cavalli’s La Calisto
and Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea
by Monteverdi. She sang Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare
at the Drottningholm Festival in 2001 and appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival singing Nancy in Albert Herring
(summer 2002) and Orlovsky in Johann Strauß Die Fledermaus
(summer 2003).
During the 2003/2004 season Ernman sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
at La Monnaie in Brussels and Lichas in Hercules with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (also revived at Opéra National de Paris and at Wiener Festwochen). During the spring and summer of 2005, she created the title role in Boesmans’ Julie at la Monnaie, Wiener Festwochen and in Aix-en-Provence. The spring of 2006 included the title role of Dido and Aeneas
(William Christie) in Vienna and Nerone in Agrippina at Oper Frankfurt. In 2006 she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as Annio in La clemenza di Tito
under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt
. In 2007 her engagements included Sesto in Giulio Cesare with René Jacobs in Vienna, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Daniel Harding in Aix-en-Provence and Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea in Amsterdam. In 2008 she sang Angelina in La Cenerentola
(Royal Swedish Opera) and Dido and Aeneas (W Christie/Opera Comique, Paris). Her 2009 engagements include Angelina in La Cenerentola (Oper Frankfurt and Swedish Royal Opera) and Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Christie/D Warner) in Vienna and Amsterdam.
), Berio’s Folksongs (Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlo Rizzi, Verbier Festival/Gustavo Dudamel), Fabian Müller’s Nachtgesänge (Tonhalleorchester Zürich/Zinman – world premiere) and Mozart’s Requiem
in Minneapolis with Arnold Östman.
During the 2001/2002 season she could be heard in recital in Tokyo, Bach’s St. John Passion in Notre Dame de Paris (Ensemble Orchestral de Paris/John Nelson) and Mozart’s Requiem (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Barenbiom). In the 2004/2005 season she made her Wigmore Hall
debut and appeared singing Sea Pictures in Trondheim and Berio’s Folksongs with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. At the 1999 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony Ernman performed as a soloist.
Ernman is today a highly renowned concert artist with concerts in Tokyo, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, London and Los Angeles. She has performed with many notable conductors, including Marc Minkowski
, Daniel Barenboim
, Esa-Pekka Salonen
, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
, Phillip Herreweghe, René Jacobs and Sir Simon Rattle.
for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
, with the song "La voix
" written by Fredrik Kempe
. On February 28, 2009 Ernman competed in the 4th semi-final of Melodifestivalen in Malmö
and was announced as a finalist. She then went on to win the final on March 14 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm
and to represent Sweden in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow
. Sweden was put into the first of two semifinals from which the songs would advance to the finals. At the end of SF1, Ernman emerged as a finalist. "La voix" was the first Swedish entry to contain a substantial amount of French lyrics. Ernman revealed that the dress for her Eurovision performance cost 400,000 kronor
(€
37,471) and was made by designer Camilla Thulin
. Singer Dea Norberg
joined Ernman as one of the choirgirls. She qualified through the first semi final on May 12 to the final on May 16 where she finished 21st with 33 points.
Others
Uppsala Municipality
Uppsala Municipality is a municipality in Uppsala County in east central Sweden. Uppsala has a population of 200,032 . Its seat is located in the university city of Uppsala....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer (coloratura mezzo-soprano). Ernman is a versatile artist in her field, who outside the world of opera and operettas also has performed chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, appeared in musicals
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and she is a performer who's declared that she's very much attracted to the attributes of varité theatre and small, intimate stage rooms. Ernman represented Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Malena Ernman is a member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Royal Swedish Academy of Music
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music or Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
.
Early life
Ernman spent her childhood and school years in SandvikenSandviken
Sandviken may refer to:* Sandviken, a Swedish town and the seat of Sandviken municipality* Sandviken Municipality, a Swedish municipality around the town of Sandviken* Sandviken, Norway, a neighbourhood in Bergen, Norway...
, a small town known in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
for producing many musical artists, mainly in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. Ernman was educated at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, the Music Conservatory in Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and at the school of the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
. Ernman is married to actor Svante Thunberg. They have two daughters, Greta and Beata.
Operas
Ernman has sung Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Staatsoper Berlin/Daniel BarenboimDaniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
), Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini (Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Opera Stockholm, Finnish National Opera), the title role in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
(Royal Opera Stockholm), Kaja in Sven-David Sandström’s Staden (Royal Opera Stockholm) and Zerlina in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
(Staatsoper Berlin/Barenboim).
She has worked with René Jacobs in Berlin, Brussels, Innsbruck, Vienna and Paris in roles like Nerone in Agrippina, Roberto in Scarlatti’s Griselda
Griselda (A. Scarlatti)
Griselda is an opera seria in three acts by the Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, the last of Scarlatti’s operas to survive completely today. The libretto is by Apostolo Zeno, with revisions by an anonymous author...
, Diana in Cavalli’s La Calisto
La Calisto
La Calisto is an opera by Francesco Cavalli with a libretto by Giovanni Faustini. The libretto was published in 1651 by Giuliani and Batti. The opera received its first performance on 28 November 1651 at the Teatro San Apollinare, Venice...
and Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea is an Italian baroque opera comprising a prologue and three acts, first performed in Venice during the 1642–43 carnival season. The music, attributed to Claudio Monteverdi, is a setting of a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello...
by Monteverdi. She sang Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare in Egitto , commonly known simply as Giulio Cesare, is an Italian opera in three acts written for the Royal Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel in 1724...
at the Drottningholm Festival in 2001 and appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival singing Nancy in Albert Herring
Albert Herring
Albert Herring, Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten.Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera The Rape of Lucretia...
(summer 2002) and Orlovsky in Johann Strauß Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
(summer 2003).
During the 2003/2004 season Ernman sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
at La Monnaie in Brussels and Lichas in Hercules with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (also revived at Opéra National de Paris and at Wiener Festwochen). During the spring and summer of 2005, she created the title role in Boesmans’ Julie at la Monnaie, Wiener Festwochen and in Aix-en-Provence. The spring of 2006 included the title role of Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
(William Christie) in Vienna and Nerone in Agrippina at Oper Frankfurt. In 2006 she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as Annio in La clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito , K. 621, is an opera seria in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Metastasio...
under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt is an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement...
. In 2007 her engagements included Sesto in Giulio Cesare with René Jacobs in Vienna, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Daniel Harding in Aix-en-Provence and Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea in Amsterdam. In 2008 she sang Angelina in La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
(Royal Swedish Opera) and Dido and Aeneas (W Christie/Opera Comique, Paris). Her 2009 engagements include Angelina in La Cenerentola (Oper Frankfurt and Swedish Royal Opera) and Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Christie/D Warner) in Vienna and Amsterdam.
Concerts
On the concert platform Ernman’s appearances have included Mozart’s Waisenhausmesse (Salzburg Festspiele/Frans BrüggenFrans Brüggen
Frans Brüggen is a well-known Dutch conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist.-Biography:Brüggen studied recorder and flute at the Amsterdam Muzieklyceum. He also studied musicology at the University of Amsterdam. In 1955, at the age of 21, he was appointed professor at the Royal...
), Berio’s Folksongs (Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlo Rizzi, Verbier Festival/Gustavo Dudamel), Fabian Müller’s Nachtgesänge (Tonhalleorchester Zürich/Zinman – world premiere) and Mozart’s Requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
in Minneapolis with Arnold Östman.
During the 2001/2002 season she could be heard in recital in Tokyo, Bach’s St. John Passion in Notre Dame de Paris (Ensemble Orchestral de Paris/John Nelson) and Mozart’s Requiem (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Barenbiom). In the 2004/2005 season she made her Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
debut and appeared singing Sea Pictures in Trondheim and Berio’s Folksongs with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. At the 1999 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony Ernman performed as a soloist.
Ernman is today a highly renowned concert artist with concerts in Tokyo, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, London and Los Angeles. She has performed with many notable conductors, including Marc Minkowski
Marc Minkowski
Marc Minkowski is a French conductor of classical music, especially known for his interpretations of French Baroque works. His mother is American, and his father was Alexandre Minkowski, a Polish-French professor of pediatrics and one of the founders of neonatology...
, Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and Conductor Laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.-Early career:...
, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt is an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement...
, Phillip Herreweghe, René Jacobs and Sir Simon Rattle.
2009 Melodifestivalen and Eurovision
On November 28, 2008 it was announced that Ernman would enter Melodifestivalen 2009Melodifestivalen 2009
Melodifestivalen 2009 was a Swedish song contest held between February and March 2009. It was the selection for the 49th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 48th edition of Melodifestivalen...
for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
, with the song "La voix
La voix
La voix is a song by Swedish singer Malena Ernman and was the Swedish entry at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Moscow, Russia. It was composed by Fredrik Kempe, with lyrics by both Kempe and Ernman...
" written by Fredrik Kempe
Fredrik Kempe
Fredrik Kempe, born in Vårgårda in 1972, is a Swedish songwriter and opera and pop singer. He has participated in Swedish versions of the musicals Les Misérables and Chess. In 2002, Kempe had a hit with Vincerò, where he mixed opera and disco....
. On February 28, 2009 Ernman competed in the 4th semi-final of Melodifestivalen in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
and was announced as a finalist. She then went on to win the final on March 14 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and to represent Sweden in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Sweden was put into the first of two semifinals from which the songs would advance to the finals. At the end of SF1, Ernman emerged as a finalist. "La voix" was the first Swedish entry to contain a substantial amount of French lyrics. Ernman revealed that the dress for her Eurovision performance cost 400,000 kronor
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
(€
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
37,471) and was made by designer Camilla Thulin
Camilla Thulin
Camilla Thulin is one of Sweden's best-known fashion designers. She is particularly known for having designed all of Army of Lovers' outfits, and for having given Swedish politician Lars Leijonborg his new "man of the people" image in the lead-up to the 2002 Swedish elections...
. Singer Dea Norberg
Dea Norberg
Andrea Heléne "Dea" Norberg is a Swedish singer and choirgirl who sang in most of Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest entries during the 2000s. Norberg has been involved in the Melodifestivalen house-choir between 2003–2006 and 2009, the choir for Sweden in Eurovision in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006...
joined Ernman as one of the choirgirls. She qualified through the first semi final on May 12 to the final on May 16 where she finished 21st with 33 points.
Albums
- 2001: Cabaret Songs (BIS)
- 2003: Songs in Season (Nytorp Musik)
- 2003: My Love (BIS)
- 2009: La Voix du Nord
- 2010: Santa Lucia – En Klassisk Jul (Christmas album)
- 2011: Opera di Fiori (Roxy Recordings/Universal)
Others
- Songs in Season (Nytorp Musik)
- Nachtgesänge (Col legno)
Singles
- 2009: "La voixLa voixLa voix is a song by Swedish singer Malena Ernman and was the Swedish entry at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Moscow, Russia. It was composed by Fredrik Kempe, with lyrics by both Kempe and Ernman...
" - sung at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 - 2010: "Min plats på jorden"
DVD
- Die Fledermaus (Glyndebourne Festival Opera)
- Julie (Boesmans)
- Hercules (William Christie)
- Dido and Aeneas (William Christie)
- La Cenerentola (Stockholm)