{"id":1159,"date":"2013-04-27T07:33:04","date_gmt":"2013-04-27T05:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/?page_id=1159"},"modified":"2022-03-13T19:08:03","modified_gmt":"2022-03-13T17:08:03","slug":"our-helen-sets-the-bar-high","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/press-clips\/reviews-2011\/our-helen-sets-the-bar-high\/","title":{"rendered":"“Our” Helen sets the bar high"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sundsvalls Tidning 110130<\/strong><\/p>\n

By: PER-ROGER CARLSSON<\/p>\n

Concert <\/strong>
\n+++++  <\/strong>
\nTonhallen Concert Hall: Helen Sj\u00f6holm with orchestra<\/strong><\/p>\n

What a brilliant idea Helen Sj\u00f6holm got when she started to ponder on a CD with Billy Joel’s music. Surprising for many, but the fact is, that when she really did it, it feels somehow obvious, because suddenly she is swimming in a sea of beautiful tones and when Tomas Andersson Wij promised to do the Swedish translations there were no longer any doubts. Just before Christmas Euforia was released, the CD which forms the starting point for her winter tour that had premiered in Sundsvall on Saturday night. It was a concert that truly set the bar high for the concert year 2011.<\/p>\n

It\u00b4s a premium musical experience Helen and her excellent band offers. She has a remarkable ability to radiate energy. Not through big gestures and spectacular dance moves, but with a voice that is capturing and a text and melody phrasing whose superior is hard to find. She treats the texts like honey, so intensively tasteful. Helen Sj\u00f6holm is a full-fledged performer and we who have followed her through the years can safely say that she continues to develop. Above all, the acting and stage presence.<\/p>\n

Billy Joel’s music is right up her alley. Of course she knew that before she started the project but, without Tomas Andersson Wij’s brilliant translations everything could have been failure. Joel’s lyrics work excellently translated into Swedish and Helen tackles them with great respect and care. She chooses mostly from his calmer repertoire and avoid the big Joel-hits like Just the way you are. But this garden is filled with so much more beauty. She has chosen exactly what suits her voice best. I have a few extra notes in the boundary of Kvinnan f\u00f6r dig (She’s Always a Woman) arranged in a more distinct tempo than Billy Joel’s original. Impressive and strong was also \u00c4rlighet (Honesty), where her clear voice cuts like a knife through the room. Not at all a coincidence, because HS has her most beautiful voice in the midrange, preferably in a minor key ballad or song.<\/p>\n

Euforia and Barpianisten (Piano Man) are other Billy Joel songs we remember, thanks to Tomas Anderrson Wij’s brilliant translations. But the evening was more than Billy Joel. We were treated to music from Elvis Costello’s repertoire (I Almost had a Weakness), Nick Cave showed up and Jojje Wadenius both as composer and soloist. Imagine, a world-guitarist who probably could attract a full house on his own, sitting in Sj\u00f6holm’s backing band lighting up the show. The band was superb under the direction of Martin \u00d6stergren, a guy who over the years has become a bit of Helen Sj\u00f6holm’s house musician.<\/p>\n

A funny part of the show was a 80’s medley put together in a very special way. Helen talked about herself as a 14-year old girl at H\u00f6glunda School (1984-85), teenage memories and snippets from the playlists during this era. Very felicitous and of course popular among the local audience. For the fact is that in Sundsvall Helen Sj\u00f6holm is “our Helen.” Standing ovations after the final number Gabriella’s song was huge and they had to pick the front cover with the extra numbers, and also a surprise. Childhood friend Anna Stadling was called on stage and together the friends sang a well tuned duet composed by Jojje Wadenius. Such a thing makes you happy. Not only did the wind blow outside. This evening Helen Sj\u00f6holm took the entire Tonhallen by storm!<\/p>\n

Back<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sundsvalls Tidning 110130 By: PER-ROGER CARLSSON Concert +++++   Tonhallen Concert Hall: Helen Sj\u00f6holm with orchestra What a brilliant idea Helen Sj\u00f6holm got when she Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":946,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1159","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t