CONCERTS SUMMER 2008
June 27 19.00, Swedish Institute/San Michele, Capri, Italy. Recital with the pianist Karin Haglund.
July 21, Pietrasanta, Italy. Soloist with Brussels chamber orchestra - first movement of the Concerto in D major by Mozart and a movement by Vivaldi (the Concerto for two violins in A minor together with the violinist Michael Guttman.
July 27, 19.00, Winterviken, Stockholm, Sweden. Magnus Båge Quartet + Nada.
July 31, 19.00, Bistro Voltaire, Stockholm, Sweden. Magnus Båge Quartet + Nada.
August 2, 14.00, Ystad art museum, Sweden. Magnus Båge Quartet + Nada.
PLAYING THE MARTINSSON CONCERTO IN NOVEMBER
November 13, 18.00, Magnus will play the flute concerto Shimmering Blue by Rolf Martinsson together with Gävle Symphony Orchestra in the Concert Hall in Stockholm. The concert will be performed again the day after - Friday, November 14, in the Gävle Concert Hall at 19.30.
Magnus and Rolf Martinsson
SHIMMERING BLUE
Rolf Martinssons's flute concerto Shimmering Blue, which was composed for Magnus Båge in 2005, is now recorded on a Daphne Records CD (Daphne 1029, www.daphne.se).
"Finally comes a conciderable 26-minutes-in-one-movement flute concerto called Shimmering Blue, emphasizing both a flute glissando technique and a matching orchestral sound. It is a lovely piece of many moods, played with conciderable tonal variety by Bage. The whole program is recorded in beautifully resonant sound and I found it a satisfying experience with a sensitive composer."
D. Moore, American Record Guide (June 2008)
"Most delicate, though, is ”Shimmering Blue”, the flute concerto from 2005 with the brilliant soloist Magnus Båge and Malmö Symphony Orchestra, with its slowly sliding Sibelius mysticism:
It is like watching the danser Virpi Pahkinen do eights on a frozen lake completely forgotten by the world." "Best track - Shimmering Blue"
Martin Nyström, Dagens Nyheter, Sweden (Nov 2007)
"Rolf Martinsson's Flute Concerto is called Shimmering Blue, and blue is indeed one of the fundamental tones in the composer's range of colours, as in jazz and similiar impressionism. For Martinsson's tone language is impressive, attractive and revels in tonal beauty - not unlike the Frenchman Henri Dutilleux. In Martinsson's tone-poem Open Mind (2005) as well as in his Flute Concerto he paints in a shamelessly cinemagraphic manner, with bellowing string waves topped by cymbal clashes à la Korngold. But it is the introverted slides that rise from the depths which redeem Martinsson's work from its kitsch stamp - as well as the superb playing of Mats Lindström and flutist Magnus Båge."
Sofia Nyblom, Svenska Dagbladet, Sweden, (Nov 2007)
Listen to an excerpt: 
More sound clips will be found here.
The cd is sold through Swedish Music Shop.
THE NORTHERN LIGHT PROJECT
Music by Rolf Martinsson
The main idea is to give a presentation of Nordic music, Nordic light and Nordic "tone" and voice of our time. The main piece of the program is Shimmering Blue, the Swedish composer Rolf Martinsson's Flute Concerto No. 1 performed by Magnus Båge, whose invention "Expression Slide", a sensational equipment, makes it possible to play a glissando a minor third up or down. A five minute section in Shimmering Blue is dedicated to that technique.
A cooperation with an "artist of light" is under discussion and the idea is to give the concert an extra colourful dimension, high quality projecting slowly increasing/decreasing pictures of northern light at the stage back or walls during the performance of Shimmering Blue and Dreams, an other work by Martinsson.
FLUTE MUSIC
"This is not another flute record but a milestone in flute playing. Great tone colors, perfect intonation and wonderful musical playing.
Everyone should have this recording and I am particularly proud to own it."
Sir James Galway (September 2003)