LTZ 100927
BY: ÅSA ERIKSSON AHNFELT,
Länstidningen Östersund
It was a magical evening when Mikael Rahm invited to “dental soiree” at Högfors Palace last night. And what could you expect with a guest artist as Helen Sjöholm?
As the only magazine LT got to be there when Helen Sjöholm and her pianist Stefan Nilsson came to Högfors Castle outside Häggenås to sing and play along with the castle lord Maths O Sundqvist. Mikael Rahm had arranged the meeting to give thanks to Maths O, who helped him to get new teeth.
Helen Sjöholm receives many requests to spread the star shine at various private events, she told LT before the soiree.
– I do not know how many people called and asked me to come and sing “You are my man” for their men in the living room…
Such requests are always rejected, but to set up when her friend Mikael Rahm asked felt quite self-evident:
– This is a manifestation of love.
The two have kept in touch ever since they met on the set of the movie “As It Is in Heaven” in 1994.
Pianist and composer Stefan Nilsson was also there:
– When a film is made you become a very tight bunch who hang out intensively for a few months. After that you often lose each other, but Mikael is a person who you can not forget. There are many in the film crew who have kept in touch with him.
Financier Maths O Sundqvist had both Helen Sjöholm and Stefan Nilsson heard of, but they had no idea about how he was as a singer:
– A thing like this can be as crazy as anything., really. But when we came here and began to rehearse with Maths O this morning, we were a little bit surprise; he’s a very good singer!
The soare began by Mikael Rahm welcoming the guests with his showpiece, the monologue “Firril’n”. And yes, it sounded very good with the new teeth in place.
Then we heard Mikael and Helen Sjöholm together in the very fitting “Now I feel much better” with text by Kristin Lugn and music by Benny Andersson.
Stefan Nilsson led the audience in singing his own composition “Tornedalens sunset” and after that we heard music of Mikael´s Jämtland friends, folk songs with the musicians Sten Andersson and Calle Hernmarck, songs with Birgit Werner and Kerstin Nilsdotter and songs a capella with his cousin Annika Persson, who is at a hairdresser.
After that it was time for Maths O Sundqvist to sing along with Helen Sjöholm.
Maths O sings with passion religious songs, and now we heard both the delicate hymn “Come near me” and a wonderfully rousing version of “He has opened the pearly gates”.
In addition, Benny Andersson’s fine “Tröstevisa”.
Some people hoped probably also for a solo by Helen Sjöholm, maybe “Gabriella’s Song” from “As It Is In Heaven.” But Helen wanted something different. She asked Mikael Rahm to sing the song, in jamska.
And she knew what she was doing – he was, after all, the evening’s real protagonist, and to hear him sing “Je vill lava lycklein för att je e je” was a perfect end of the program.