Oslo Philharmonic's Chamber Series Luciano Berio Jennifer Higdon

Oslo Philharmonic's Chamber Series Grażyna Bacewicz George Enescu

After Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939, life in Warsaw became extremely challenging, including for the composer and violinist Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969). Even during these difficult times, Bacewicz continued composing, as well as performing secret underground concerts, until she and her family escaped the city after the Warsaw Uprising. Four years after the war, she released what is today considered one of her most famous pieces—Quartet for Four Violins. The work is written in a neoclassical style but, like much of her music, also contains elements of Polish folk music.The child prodigy George Enescu (1881–1955) started composing at a young age—he took up the violin at four, composition at five, and by the time he was seven, he was admitted to the Vienna Conservatory. He later continued his composition studies at the Conservatoire de Paris, and just a year after graduating, he completed his Octet in C major. At the time, the piece was praised as an impressive achievement for a 19-year-old, and today it is considered one of his masterpieces. It is a melodically rich and complex work, written in a late Romantic style while also drawing inspiration from Romanian folk music.

Oslo Philharmonic's Chamber Series Benjamin Britten Heinrich Sutermeister Stephen Sondheim

"All we need is one knight who is so strong he can pull that sword from the stone. Then we will have a king again, at last!" Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) composed The Sword in the Stone as a score for a BBC Radio play for children. This piece tells the story of the orphan Wart, an awkward and clumsy boy. He dreams of becoming a knight who embarks on grand adventures, battling dragons, griffins, and giants. However, his destiny takes an unexpected turn, and he becomes the legendary King Arthur. The Sword in the Stone explores Arthur's boyhood, his friendship with his foster brother Kay, his training under the wizard Merlin, and the life-changing realization that he is the rightful king of England.The medieval ballad Sven Svane recounts the tale of the giant Sven Vondved. Unlike Arthur, Sven dreams not of slaying giants but of playing the harp. His mother, unimpressed, insists he should be out fighting giants instead of plucking strings. Sven obeys, going on a rampage that includes killing giants, witches—and even his own mother. He eventually encounters a wanderer, challenging him to a riddle contest: “Now hear my questions, wandering man, and tell me if you can answer them.” Known as "life-or-death riddles," the wanderer’s survival depends on his correct answers. He answers every riddle correctly, and in many versions of the story, Sven rewards him with a gold ring.Heinrich Sutermeister's (1910–1995) Serenade No. 1 is derived from his opera The Red Shoe, based on Wilhelm Hauff's fairy tale The Cold Heart. The story follows Peter Marmot, a coal miner who inherits his father’s trade. Dissatisfied with his hard life, Peter seeks quick wealth and recognition. He meets a glass-imp who grants him three wishes. Peter wishes for riches and a glass factory, but his lack of knowledge leads to bankruptcy. Desperate, he makes a deal with the evil spirit Dutch-Mike, trading his heart for success. With his new stone heart, Peter becomes wealthy but finds no joy. He loses everything, including his wife, whom he kills in anger. Regretful, Peter seeks the glass-imp’s help, outwits Mike, and regains his beating heart.In Eric Ewazen’s (b. 1954) God’s World, the narrator experiences something entirely new. She feels a passion, love, and heightened appreciation for the world so intense that it feels as if she might burst, as if her body cannot contain the overwhelming beauty of the world. The text is drawn from the poem collection Three Lyrics of Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Ewazen himself arranged the three songs for trumpet and piano or marimba.Solfager, from the Norwegian medieval ballad Solfager and the Serpent King, must have been an extraordinarily beautiful woman, as her name suggests. She is engaged to King David, but the Serpent King falls in love with her and devises a cunning plan to claim her. He gives her a sedative drink, causing everyone to believe she has died, and she is buried. While she lies in her grave, the Serpent King visits her and offers her a grim choice: remain in the grave and die or go with him.In 1960, Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021) composed music for his friend and collaborator Arthur Laurents’ play, Invitation to a March, a sort of reverse Sleeping Beauty story. The play introduces us to the beauty Norma and her mother Lily, who plans for her daughter to marry a handsome and successful but dull lawyer. Norma falls asleep at the most inopportune times, especially when her fiancé talks about their safe and predictable future. It is only when she is kissed by Adam, a relatively poor and unambitious yet free-spirited man, that she begins to awaken. From that point, the story becomes a battle of wills between three mothers—Adam’s mother on one side and the two mothers of the prospective bride and groom on the other.

Oslo Philharmonic

Two years after his brilliant debut at Musikfest Berlin with the Royal Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, shooting star Klaus Mäkelä will perform a programme with the Oslo Philharmonic in 2024 that includes the much played and frequently misunderstood Fifth Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich – and a dialogue with birds.

Guitar Series: SoloDuo

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Maria Schneider / Oslo Jazz Ensemble

Already once planned for 2022, the tail end of the Covid pandemic thwarted the wanderlust of Maria Schneider. But postponed is not cancelled: now, the American composer and bandleader presents her ninth album »Data Lords«, which was just awarded two Grammys. Maria Schneider stands for jazz compositions in cinemascope format, for profound, superbly arranged works with the Oslo Jazz Ensemble alongside her this time, for its part a powerhouse of Norwegian jazz creativity. »Data Lords«, this is something like the catapult handmade by David with which Maria Schneider as a resistant, seemingly powerless warrior flings a couple of shiny prepared cannonballs of sound against the Goliath of the tech and music industry. In the USA, the composer is a powerful voice for copyright protection and for the fair payment of musicians in times of streaming services. The music of her ninth album also carries this fighting spirit within it, which she released, as ever, entirely on her own.

The Two Pianos Series

The two pianists series

The Two Pianos Series

Pianist Series: Bruce Liu

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!