It’s Good Friday and you are not supposed to wish anybody Happy Easter on Good Friday.
But… I read a suggestion on Instagram to reach a hand out to friends and family who are all alone this Easter, and all of a sudden, I had texted more than twenty people – mom, dad, aunt, old class-mates, bonus kids with their respective partners, workmates, wives and dear friends, an old fling, a current Tinder date… – wishing them all a Happy Easter and giving them the gift of one of the most beautiful musical works I know, the Stabat Mater that Jens Bragdell Eriksson wrote with and for the Södra Sallerup church choir in 2016.
We’ve sung it a number of times, and there are at least four versions of it on YouTube, from the very first performance ever, to an auto-generated playlist of the album we recorded in 2017 that is also available on Spotify.
With this, I wish you a Happy Easter as well, however inappropriate it is.
(Me, front row, second to the left behind the string quartet.)
I love that piece of music! He’s a genius!
Thank you for sharing this with me on Good friday. That friday that for me was a deep immersion in music. The best medicine, the best service and sermon there is.
And since I’m writing this on Easter sunday, I say Happy Easter to you without any hesitation! There is resurrection to be had, to be won, resurrection from paralyzing darkness, hopelessness, grief, trauma, crisis and fear.
What a beautiful qift… and I really hope this time of social distancing will bring us together in many ways. <3