Scan Magazine | Attraction of the Month | Norway
Attraction of the Month, Norway
Opera to the people in exotic surroundings In scenic surroundings in the midst of fjords and mountains, you will find Kristiansund. The prosperous coastal city has attracted high culture, including opera, from southern Europe from its early days. About 200 years on, the Opera in Kristiansund is well established within the music world and hosts a magnificent opera festival every February: The Opera Festivities. By Helene Toftner | Photos: Ken A. Jensen
Words do not do this part of Norway justice but, while nature has gone overboard, one would perhaps not think of this as one of the first places in the Nordics where opera took a foothold. The locals have, however, enjoyed such classical pieces since the early 1800s, attracting national stars as well as cultivating local talents. With this in mind, it is no longer a surprise that the city is home to the annual Opera Festivities every February, boasting two weeks of great entertainment with concerts in the harbour, in cafés, on a boat and, not least, 86 | Issue 84 | January 2016
at the Opera House, hosting big productions including the always-enchanting Magic Flute by Mozart and the most performed Russian opera, Eugen Onegin by Tchaikovsky. “Whether you fancy a full evening at the Opera House dressed in your nicest suit, or prefer a little taster during lunch, there is something for you,” director of the Opera in Kristiansund, Line Lønning Andresen, says. This year’s festivities take place from 4 to 20 February, and visitors can look forward to dozens of performances. The
locals are known to be proud ambassadors, and most would go to see at least one performance, if not more. Special for the festival is its inclusion of artists who most certainly do not normally perform in opera houses, including the muchcelebrated rap duo Karpe Diem and rocker Åge Aleksandersen. “We always try to present opera in new ways and demonstrate the genre’s multi-faceted nature,” Lønning Andresen says and adds: “On this year’s programme we have operas and operettas as well as musicals and concerts with famous artists from other genres. Our mantra is ‘opera to the people’, and it really is.” The full 2016 programme will be available from late January. For more information and to view the programme, please visit: www.oik.no