Thursday 02 May 2019

The chief conductor rounds off the season with Beethoven's jubilant Ninth Symphony, one of classical music's most performed and best-known works.

One can only enjoy the master's work, from the careful beginning to the last movement's Ode to the joy of orchestra, choir and soloists.

Beethoven's life-affirming masterpiece is a musical icon, not least known for the powerful final chorus with full orchestra, chorus and soloists. It is today Europe's national anthem and represents central European values such as freedom, peace and solidarity.

A performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the crushing victory of spirit over matter, never leaves the listener unmoved. We are proud to present a strong team of Norwegian singers led by Edward Gardner.

The first work of the evening, Schönberg's expressive monodrama Erwartung , is about a young woman who wanders restlessly in a moonlit forest in search of her lover who has apparently abandoned her, but whom she eventually finds dead. The work's soloist Sara Jakubiak participated in Harmonien's Grammy-nominated recording of Janáček's Glagolitic Mass.

The concerts are organized with generous support from the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation.