Sibbe Live!: Grieg & Sibelius

Standard price 15€ (+service fee)

Students/ pensioners/ childre 12€ (+service fee)

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Melis Jaatinen, mezzosoprano, Thormod Rønning Kvam, piano

Programme:

Jean Sibelius:

Serenad JS 167 (1888)
Drömmen Op. 13/5 (1891)
Kyssens hopp Op. 13/2 (1892)
Lasse liten Op. 37/2 (1902)
På verandan vid havet Op. 38/2 (1903)
Norden Op. 90/1 (1917)
Narciss JS 140 (1925)

Edvard Grieg:

Ballade op. 24, G minor (1876)
Haugtussa op. 67 (1895)

Haugtussa is an epic circle of poems written by the Norwegian author Arne Garborg (1851–1924) in nynorsk language. The 1895 work is thought as a staple of Norwegian neo-romanticism and symbolism. The poems tell the story of a young shepherd girl Haugtussa, and her first love and heartaches.

The poems are strongly linked to Garborg’s background in the countryside, and they feature several supernatural creatures such as draugs and huldras, among others. This year it will be 100 years since the death of this nationally important author.

The composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) became interested in Garborg’s circle of poems and composed a song cycle for soprano and piano based on the work in 1895 (publ. 1898). Even though Grieg wrote plenty of songs, this is the only song cycle of his oeuvre.

The music follows the imagery of the poems from the tasty blueberries to the burbling creek, entangling the protagonist’s story and the mystical spring nature and blossoming around her.

The concert also features Ballade in G minor by Grieg, which is thought to be his most important piano piece. Grieg composed this work, very important to himself, between 1875 and 1876 during a time when both his parents died. The composition consists of one theme and 14 variations. The theme is based on a valdresian folk song Den Nordlandske Bondestand.

The programme is completed with a selection of songs by Jean Sibelius.

Thormod Rønning Kvam is establishing himself among great young Scandinavian pianists. Milestones of the last few years include concerts at Wigmore Hall in London, the main stage of Norway National Opera, the Grünewald Hall of Stockholm’s Concert Hall, Harpa in Reykjavik, the new Munch Museum ja Hardanger Music Festival. 2023 he was given Associate of the Royal Academy of Music -award, which is awarded to former students of the university who, through their artistic work, have contributed to the development of their field. He has also been awarded the Fagerstens scholarship for the production of a forthcoming solo album, and the prestigious Nils Larsen scholarship for an international solo debut. Thormod is the artistic director of the Aulaseriene concert series he founded, and through his work he aims to contribute to the renewal of the classical music tradition. The concert series focuses on a diverse range of chamber music in the lobbies of the University of Oslo and the University of Bergen, as well as at the cultural site Ramme in Hvitsten.

Melis Jaatinen, a Finnish-Turkish mezzo-soprano living in Norway, is known as a versatile singer who has established herself in the Nordic concert arenas. After graduating from the Sibelius Academy, Jaatinen worked as a soloist trainee at the Finnish National Opera from 2010-2012, where she has since sung several roles, including Nancy (Britten/Albert Herring), Sesto (Julius Caesar), Zara (Reinvere/Purge), Cherubino (Mozart/Figaro’s Wedding), Mercedes (Bizet/Carmen) and Flora (Verdi/La Traviata). Other operatic appearances include the role of Polina (Tchaikovsky/The Queen of Spades) at the Savonlinna Opera Festival 2018, and debuts in 2019 at the Norrlands Opera in Sweden in Vi – en okänd opera av Bach? and at the Royal Danish Opera in the role of Kay in Abrahamsen/Snedronningen. Jaatinen is active in contemporary music and has premiered several other works, including UR/Thorvaldsdottir, VIA/ Kortetangas and Påske/Kverndokk. In 2023/2024, she performed Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Jaatinen has a rich chamber music repertoire, which she is constantly developing and deepening through new concert programmes. She has performed in Japan, at the Bard Music Festival in the USA, the Oxford Lied Festival, the Oslo Opera House, and several festivals in Finland and Norway. In 2022 Melis released her first album “Impression du Nord – Nordic songs” together with pianist Juho Alakärpää. The album contains songs by Nordic composers inspired by French Impressionism.

The service fee applies to tickets purchased through Lippupiste.