A cappella is the Italian term historically referred to music performed “in the style of the chapel”—vocal music without instrumental accompaniment—typically performed as part of religious services. But today, contemporary a cappella is considered as a musical performance by the human voices alone, or sometimes by the vocal apparatus and some other part of the body together in a variety of styles and genres of music.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary this year, Min-On invited an internationally acclaimed Swedish vocal super-group, The Real Group, for their multifaceted a cappella performances at the popular Min-On Fureai Concert—A Close Rapport with Neighbors series, which is designed to be held at local neighborhood theaters and invites people from local communities in 19 districts across Metropolitan Tokyo during the months of October and November.
The five members of the group, Emma Nilsdotter (soprano), Katarina Henryson (alto), Anders Edenroth (tenor), Morten Vinther Sørensen (baritone), and Anders Jalkéus (bass), all graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, and they superbly create a unique and incredible musical expression with various tones, rhythms and harmonies of male and female voices as their sole instrument. At each concert, this versatile quintet showcased a wide-ranging repertoire from jazz, pop, and Swedish rock, to Mozart’s classics, Scandinavian folksongs, and original a cappella compositions. Their incredible vocal artistry delighted a audiences at each venue and successfully delivered the pleasure of world-class quality music to local communities around Tokyo.
