Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Nordic Festival Special – Norway
At the altar of Oslo
By Lisa Maria Berg | Photos: Oslo Internasjonale Kirkemusikkfestival
Bente Johnsrud had the idea for an international church music festival while crosscountry skiing back in 2000. In March, the artistic director opens the festival doors for the 19th time: this year, putting the spotlight on climate change around the globe. It is an act of transformation that takes place in the month of March in Oslo. The tiny capital nestled in the north is hit with a wave of internationally renowned artists. “We are bringing a piece of Europe to Norway,” says artistic director Bente Johnsrud, who has been turning up the music annually for almost two decades. In the 2019 edition of Oslo Internasjonale Kirkemusikkfestival, it will be with a par-
Dunedic Consort.
ticular focus on climate change and its effects. There are many highlights on offer this year. The opera Upon This Handful of Earth had its 2017 premiere in New York and will have its revival in Oslo in March. Composed by Gisle Kverndokk, it is a story of humans caught in the unapologetic repercussions of environmental disaster. It is one of several pieces where the audience will find the
KORK.
choir at the helm. This year, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir will be opening the festival with Arvo Pärt’s Te Deum. The festival’s success can in many ways be put down to Johnsrud’s far from commercial programming. “I want to challenge, surprise and delight our audiences. By putting household names next to up-and-coming new talent, we push the boundaries of what the festival can be,” she concludes. Web: www.kirkemusikkfestivalen.no
Voces Suaves. Photo: Markus Räber
A chamber of treats Stavanger Kammermusikkfestival (Stavanger Chamber Music Festival) is, this August, once again transforming Stavanger and its adjoining towns into a mecca of classical music. By Lisa Maria Berg | Photos: Peter Adamik
“The art is at the centre of what we do. We book musicians that could be playing at ours one week and then heading to Carnegie Hall the next,” says managing director Katrine Lilleland. It is only January, but Lilleland is, together with the artistic team, already planning for summer. They have a solid track record in putting together a top-quality festival. When chamber doors open in August, it will be for the 29th time. It is a deep love for classical music that has earned Stavanger Kammermusikkfestival its international reputation. “We want to bring the very best of national and international talent to Stavanger, delivering a programme of high standard,” Lilleland explains. The Grammy nominated Choirs of Trinity Church Wall Street and New York
Polyphony have both visited earlier festivals. This year, there is a particular focus on Nordic artists, and Det Norske Solistkor, made up of some of the leading voices in the country, will find its way to Stavanger in August. The festival has not held back in its choice of venues and has, throughout the
years, come to really spoil its loyal audience. Stavanger Domkirke (Stavanger Cathedral) is the festival’s flagship venue, with its 11th-century walls and central location – it is basically at the heart of the town – providing a concert hall with an atmosphere that could not be more fitting for classical music. What it lacks in raked seating and the ability to do a curtain call, the church more than makes up for in sheer ambiance. Web: www.kammermusikkfestivalen.no
Issue 120 | January 2019 | 35