'A New World' - Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra kicks off their 101st season in style

Junyan Chen

Junyan Chen (piano)

Joanna MacGregor (conductor)

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

Ruth Rogers (leader)

2.45pm, Sunday 28 September

Dome Concert Hall, Brighton

★★★★

Rachmaninov, Sergei (1873-1943): Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

Encore: 

Gershwin, George (1898-1937): The Man I Love, arr. by ?

Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937): La Valse, poème chorégraphique pour orchestre

Bartók, Béla (1881-1945): Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin, Sz.73

Joanna MacGregor

After a cracking 100^th season, the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra are back for their 101^st (my season preview is here),and there’s no sign of Joanna MacGregor letting up on the imaginative programming we’ve now come to expect. So whilst there was a big hitting concerto for the first concert of the new season, they went for Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 – popular of course, but not as well-known as the second. And rather than the usual overture-concerto-symphony sandwich, the Rachmaninov opened the concert, bold and up front, with Shanghai-born pianist Junyan Chen at the keyboard. A former pupil of MacGregor’s, Chen has performed with the BPO previously, and last year won not one but three prizes at the Leeds International Piano Competition, including the Silver Medal.

Right from the steadily rolling opening of the Rachmaninov, it was clear that Chen was in control here, setting the pace with incision and steering progress through the frequent rubatos at the ends of phrases. The orchestra were a little slower to get going, with a somewhat muted response, and MacGregor’s occasionally uncertain beat meant that in solo-free passages there were a few hesitant cadences. Woodwind solos were strong, however, with a particularly fine moment from the bassoon alone with the piano. Flute, oboe, clarinet and horn all got a chance towards the end of the movement, and all acquitted themselves well. The muted strings in the slow movement could have still had a little more weight in their sound, but their ensemble was tight, giving secure support to Chen’s swirling romantic solo. The movement’s conclusion was authoritative and arresting, with the finale following at a healthily steady pace. Once again, Chen drove the tempos, and apart from the odd uncertain pickup, the orchestra followed obediently. Chen demonstrated some particularly seductive, slinky playing here, with impressively virtuosic solo passages, and a glorious surge to the finish, here matched with a rich, full sound from the full orchestra. She then treated the appreciative Brighton audience to a sensual arrangement of Gershwin’s The Man I Love (possibly Art Tatum’s arrangement?), with its seductive outer thick chords beautifully contrasted with the brief vamping central section. Definitely a pianist to watch, and hopefully we’ll be treated to a return visit in Brighton sometime soon.

 

Junyan Chen & the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
© Nick Boston

Ravel’s La Valse is a wonderfully anarchic unravelling of the Viennese Waltz, originally intended as a ballet for Diaghilev. He turned it down, souring their relationship for good, even though Diaghilev acknowledged it as a musical masterpiece. As well as a reflection on the dying world of the waltz, was it also a comment on political decay in Europe, post-World War I? Well Ravel said not, but it is hard not to read some sense of the end of an era into his wildly evocative picture of the opulent ballrooms of Vienna gradually swirling out of control into chaos. MacGregor and the BPO gave us a suitably dark opening, with slithering glissandi from the violas and an ominous cor anglais solo. MacGregor steered through the frequent rubatos and Viennese holdups, although these felt occasional a little mechanical rather than fully felt. As things built to the inevitable climax, timing unravelled ever so slightly, and the seasick surges from the orchestra needed even more, but MacGregor punched through to a suitably wild finish. 
 

Joanna MacGregor & the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
© Nick Boston

Then came the most intriguing programming choice of the afternoon. Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin Suite is not performed as often as it should be, but when it is, at just over twenty minutes, it often appears as the warm-up act. But this densely imaginative and exciting score deserves more attention, and by ending their concert with it, the BPO were able to show off its dramatic and unsettling power. Described as a ‘pantomime ballet’, the original full work, with its shocking tale of tramps forcing a girl to entrap men so they could rob them, was in fact too shocking for audiences of the day, and it had to be withdrawn after its premiere. Bartók’s concert suite was however performed in his lifetime, perhaps because the ‘action’ now stops at the point when the mysterious Miraculous Mandarin, the tramps’ third victim, chases the girl, and avoids the ensuing failed attempts by the tramps to kill him, as well as his sexual union with the girl, before he finally dies. Nevertheless, the Suite still contains the darkness of the drama, right from the opening raucous cityscape to the chase scene, via the increasingly complex characterisations of the three victims, all portrayed via clarinet solos. MacGregor and the BPO were in their element for the opening bustling cacophony, with trombone car horns and swirling, whistling woodwinds. Principal clarintettist James Gilbert’s solos were full of the necessarily individual character, and with mournful turns from cor anglais and oboe, brittle col legno strings (hitting with the wood of the bow), trombone slides and glassy celesta combined with high flutes, they delivered much of the atmospheric detail of Bartók’s score with enthusiasm. MacGregor’s direction was also more confident throughout here, and the slowing up into the final finish was well judged, making for a thrilling conclusion to their assured performance of this exciting work. Once again, MacGregor and the BPO showed that taking risks with more adventurous programming choices pays dividends, as evidenced by another almost full and highly appreciative Brighton Dome audience.

An impressive debut recording from Birmingham's chamber choir, The Elgar Scholars

The Elgar Scholars describe themselves as Birmingham’s newest pre-professional chamber choir, and is conducted by co-musical directors Jim Bate and Laura Bailie. Bate & Bailie are both graduates of The University of Birmingham’s choral conducting masters programme, and the singers are students and alumni from the university, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and elsewhere. As you would expect, therefore, they produce a sophisticated sound, with precise tuning and clear diction a given. What is more interesting perhaps on their short debut recording is the variety of contemporary styles across just eight tracks. 

One piece gives a nod towards their name, in John Cameron’s arrangement of Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’, as ‘Lux Aeterna’, but otherwise all the other pieces are by living composers. Starting with the Elgar, they take this at a good pace, avoiding any self-indulgence that can creep in, and they  keep their powder dry until the big climax, when the ringing sopranos really burst out of the texture, before retreating to deliver a touchingly fragile ending. There are two works here by ex-King’s Singer and composer Bob Chilcott (b.1955). Firstly, there is Even Such is Time, a setting of a Walter Raleigh text, with a falling repeated pattern that here leads towards a rich, full homophonic sound from the choir, and a beautifully pure-toned soprano solo line from Alice Martin. The other Chilcott piece comes from his Song of Harvest. Gratitude is a prayerful hymn, with a warm blend from the singers here. Judith Weir (b.1954) is represented here by Drop Down, Ye Heavens, From Above, her setting of the Rorate Coeli text, often set to plainsong for Advent matins. Weir starts with a bare sound of just two lines, then adds lines to the texture, building to a thicker homophonic texture, with a particularly richly dense chord on the word Fear. There is an eery wedding anthem, And I Will Betroth You, from Michael Zev Gordon (b.1963), once again relatively homophonic in texture, but with closely clashing parts requiring precision of tuning and balance from the singers, and they sustain the long-held chords with impressive steadiness. The album’s title, Finding Your Home, comes from Millicent B James’ work, which was commissioned by the National Youth Choir. James was a member of their Young Composer Scheme in 2023, and this piece demonstrates a highly impressive command of a variety of choral techniques, moving from jazzy close harmony into a more playful rhythmically driven style, with improvisatory solo lines and finger-clicking creating a joyful and richly textured celebration, and the singers clearly had fun with this one. 

But the two highlights here for me include Laura Mvula’s (b.1986) own choral arrangement of her song Sing To The Moon, originally composed with Steven James Brown who sadly passed away in 2024 for Mvula’s debut studio album in 2013. Mvula also studied composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and this choral arrangement was performed by the BBC Singers at the Last Night of the Proms in 2019. The choruses have simpler, thicker harmony, with a glorious solo rising above from soprano Evelyn Byford, whilst the verses allow for more interesting textures from individual lines and falling figures from the sopranos. And my other highlight is Jonathan Dove’s (b.1959) In Beauty May I Walk. It was written as a present for Anthony Whitworth-Jones on leaving Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where Whitworth-Jones had been General Director and had commissioned various works by Dove, including his opera Flight. It uses anonymous Navajo text, translated by Jerome K Rothenberg, and Dove expertly combines chanting with repeating figures and layering of parts to create a haunting piece. Here The Elgar Scholars basses rise up slowly beneath the busier upper parts, their slow scale underpinning the build to the work’s climax, before falling away to a quiet, delicate conclusion. It is in these more complex works, the Dove, Mvula and James pieces in particular, that The Elgar Scholars demonstrate their assured command, and conductors Bailie and Bate have clearly worked hard with them to create a highly accomplished choir that I look forward to hearing more from.

Various. 2025. Finding Your Home. The Elgar Scholars, Jim Bate, Laura Bailie. Compact Disc & Download. Convivium Records CR110.

 

Beauty of sound dilutes the passion in Welser-Möst and the Vienna Philharmonic's Tchaikovsky

Franz Welser-Möst
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Vienna Philharmonic

Franz Welser-Möst (conductor)

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Sunday 31 August, 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791): Symphony No. 38 in D major, K504 'Prague'

Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich (1840-1893): Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 'Pathétique'

The Vienna Philharmonic at the BBC Proms
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

'It almost goes without saying that the Vienna Philharmonic sounded exquisite at all times, the orchestra never knowingly emitting anything uneasy on the ear'.

Mozart:

'Welser-Möst was the epitome of restrained poise, with razor-sharp ensemble from the offbeat violins, before they fizzed in the Allegro'.

'Despite impressive agility from the woodwinds ... and skittering violins, there was not much to get the heart racing here'.

Tchaikovsky:

'Welser-Möst kept a lid on things until build to the climax, with violins and woodwinds swirling into the tutti march, one of the evening’s first truly spectacular moments'.

'At least a handful of grit in the mix would have better captured the symphony’s “Pathétique” essence'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Bampton Classical Opera have fun with Salieri at The Barn, Old Walland

Siân Dicker (Mirandolina) & Samuel Pantcheff (Fabrizio)
© Bampton Classical Opera

Andrew Griffiths (Conductor)
Jeremy Gray (Director/Designer)
Harriet Cameron (Assistant Director)
Karen Halliday (Movement Director)

Pauline Smith, Anne Baldwin (Costumes)

Ian Chandler (Lighting)

Alex Norton (Répétiteur)

Siân Dicker (Mirandolina)

Samuel Pantcheff (Fabrizio)

Rosalind Dobson (Lena)

Osian Wyn Bowen (The Baron Ripafratta)

David Horton (The Count of Albafiorita)

Aidan Edwards (The Marquis of Folimpopoli)

The Orchestra of Bampton Classical Opera

Bampton Classical Opera

6.00pm, Saturday 6 September, 2025

The Barn at Old Walland, Wadhurst

★★★★

Antonio Salieri (1750-1825): La locandíera (The Landlady)

(libretto by Domenico Poggi () after Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793), translated by Gilly French and Jeremy Gray) 

arr. Giorgio Croci, by arrangement with Casa Musicale Sonzogno di Piero Ostali

Osian Wyn Bowen (Baron Ripafratta) & Siân Dicker (Mirandolina)
© Bampton Classical Opera

My third visit now to Bampton Classical Opera in the beautiful setting of The Barn at Old Walland, deep in the High Weald, was once again a delight. On a lovely late summer evening, BCO brought their joyous production of a hitherto unknown (to me) jolly romp by Salieri, La locandiera (The Landlady), having given three other performances at Bampton and Westonbirt, with one more to come at Smith Hall, London on 16 September.

In the 200^th anniversary year of Salieri’s death, it is a good point to be reassessing a composer who was remarkably successful and popular in his lifetime, yet pretty universally neglected thereafter. Pushkin’s play Mozart and Salieri and of course, Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus and its film version, did a great deal to embed the myth of Salieri’s jealousy and even murderous conspiracy to bring down his young rival, despite there being no real evidence for this. And despite Salieri’s subsequent reputation for being more pedestrian than the younger ‘genius’, it’s interesting to note that in La locandiera, Salieri is exploring the somewhat revolutionary territory of servants getting one over on the noblemen that Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro is credited with, some thirteen years earlier than his rival.

 

So in La locandiera, we have the strong female lead, landlady Mirandolina, getting one over on not just one but three noblemen. The Count and the Marquis are straightforward suitors, whilst the Baron claims to eschew all women, immediately riling Mirandolina with his misogynistic behaviour and demands. Mirandolina resolves to trick him by winning him over, before ultimately unmasking him as a fool. Understandably this confuses her servant Fabrizio, who is in love with her, and he becomes enraged as she turns her charms on the Baron. After three acts of shenanigans, all is resolved, and Mirandolina chooses Fabrizio over the three supposedly ‘better prospects’. Now of course the behaviour of the male characters is made fun of, and ultimately they are defeated – but there still a sense that their unwanted approaches, bordering on harassment, are just a bit of fun. And despite her strength and rejection of their misogyny, Mirandolina still ends up with Fabrizio, who has exhibited several outbursts of red-flag jealousy. But putting these twenty-first century qualms to one side, it is still the women that come out clearly on top at the end, with even the maidservant Lena getting a final opportunity to take charge of her fate. 

 

David Horton (Count) & Aidan Edwards (Marquis)
© Bampton Classical Opera

Gilly French and Jeremy Gray, BCO’s artistic directors, provided the translated libretto, and it was full of their playful humour that I’ve seen in previous productions here. Lots of great rhymes (custard/flustered, behaviour/gave ya, bile/style – not quite sure about chicken/kick-in though…) support the humour, and memorable lines emphasise the subversion. The Baron likes ‘her forthright manner’, which ‘disturbs the status quo’, and Mirandolina is given the strong statement ‘I’m a woman and women are tough’.

 

Siân Dicker excelled as the feisty Mirandolina, her powerful voice suiting the larger-than-life character, filling the small space. Yet Mirandolina isn’t one dimensional, and in her Act 2 aria, when she repeats that phrase ‘I’m a woman and women are tough’, Dicker shifted between angry confidence and moments of self-doubt, as Salieri’s music also shifts into darker harmonies. Samuel Pantcheff’s Fabrizio was also multi-dimensional, portraying well confusion and jealousy at Mirandolina’s actions, as well as genuine warmth and affection, and Pantcheff & Dicker’s final love duet was touchingly beautiful. Pantcheff also had great fun with the sight gag of delivering ever more ridiculous eggs for the Baron in Act 1.

 

Osian Wyn Bowen’s Baron was suitably uptight and pernickety, and his clear-toned tenor gave us a range from initial arrogance, through to softening warmth as he succumbed to Mirandolina’s charms (with a particularly lyrical aria in Act 2), then finally to angry frustration and humiliation. Aidan Edwards’ Marquis and David Horton’s Count formed a great double act, Horton’s wiry tenor and wily confidence contrasting well with Edwards’ warm baritone and comic buffoonery. Their non-sensical sporting costume changes (tennis/table tennis, to golf, to croquet?) added a fun counterpoint to the Baron’s natty formal dress. Rosalind Dobson’s Lena was lightly playful, her bright soprano and her mischievous asides providing dashes of additional humour, particularly in the final moments. Ensemble pieces had great energy and fine-tuned balance, and the sextets at the end of Acts 2 and 3 were highly impressive.

Rosalind Dobson (Lena)
© Bampton Classical Opera

The production was tight and pretty polished, considering the limited space they had in The Barn. When the full cast of six were all on stage, it was more than a little cosy, and there were one or two props that almost came a cropper. But despite this, they made convincing use of the one set, which shifted between serving as the Baron’s room and other spaces in the inn. Costumes were simple yet bright, and lighting equally straightforward, with just occasional shifts of tone and colour. 

 

Andrew Griffiths conducted the 11 piece band with energy and elegance, and the balance was mostly assured, with the horns off to one side avoiding overly dominating the light strings. Alex Norton on harpsichord gave delicate support in the recitatives, and Griffiths kept everything moving along at a jolly pace throughout.

 

BCO have talked about focussing on semi-staged and concert performances in coming years. Here’s hoping that these lightly staged yet joyful performances at The Barn continue to be a part of their offering in the future.

Bampton Classical Opera
© Nick Boston

The Barn at Old Walland
© Nick Boston

Musical resilience from Pekka Kuusisto and Katarina Barruk at the Proms

Pekka Kuusisto &
members of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
© Andy Paradise

Katarina Barruk (vocals)

Arnljot Nordvik (guitar)

Christer Jørgensen (drums)

Norwegian Chamber Orchestra 

Pekka Kuusisto (violin/director)

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Sunday 31 August, 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Katarina Barruk
© Andy Paradise

Barruk, Katarina (b.1994): Ruhttuo intro

                                          Miärraládda (arr. Sonstad, Øystein (b.1970)/Nordvik, Arnljot)

                                           Niäguoh (arr. Stangness, Christo, orch. Sonstad, Øystein)

                                           Sådna jahttá - Part 2: Maadter-aahka (arr. Nyman, Marzi (b.1979))

                                           Ij gåssieke (arr. Sonstad, Øystein/Nordvik, Arnjlot)

                                           Dállie (arr. Buene, Eivind (b.1973))

Tippett, Michael (1905-1998): Divertimento on Sellinger's Round - A Lament (2nd movement)

Philip Glass (b.1994): String Quartet No. 3, 'Mishima', 5. Blood Oath (arr. Kuusisto, Pekka (b.1976))

Kendall, Hannah (b.1984): Weroon Weroon (UK premiere)

Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Chorale prelude 'O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross', BWV 622 (arr. Reger, Max (1873-1916))

Shaw, Caroline (b.1982): Plan & Elevation, 5. The Beech Tree (arr. Murphy, Ben/Shaw, Caroline)

Pärt, Arvo (b.1935): Fratres - version for solo violin, string orchestra and percussion

Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975): Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (arr. of String Quartet No. 8 by Barshai, Rudolf (1924-2010))

Encore:

Lennon, John (1940-1980): Imagine (arr. Kuusisto, Pekka)

Katarina Barruk
© Andy Paradise

Barruk:

'Barruk’s striking voice shifted from pure tone to nasal growls, then high and wispy, across a huge range'.

'Barruk’s voice rose high over lamenting strings, then fell into low creaks, with a clear exhortation to never surrender'.

Kendall:

'Kuusisto’s glassy rapid tremolo buzzed and scraped, emitting strange harmonics, and rising and falling in dynamic, before grinding to a halt, adding to the evening’s diversity of sound worlds'.

Pärt:

'NCO moved together with instinctive ensemble, the violins swaying as one. Kuusisto’s solo variations sang out with clarity and improvisatory expression'.

Shostakovich:

'Kuusisto and the NCO let rip with the fourth movement’s violent stabbing knocks ... The second movement's DSCH motif and wild dance and the third's macabre waltz were suitably terrifying'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Pekka Kuusisto & the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
© Nick Boston

A spectacular swansong for the Rosendal Chamber Music Festival

Kvinnherad Church in Rosendal
© Liv Øvland

Leif Ove Andsnes (Artistic Director, piano)

Yulianna Avdeeva (piano)

James Baillieu (piano)

Knut Christian Jansson (piano)

Johan Dalene (violin)

Oda Holt Günther (violin)

Timothy Ridout (viola)

Julia Hagen (cello)

Opus13:

Sonoko Miriam Welde (violin)

Edvard Erdal (violin)

Albin Usijärvi (viola)

Daniel Thorell (cello)

Leif Ove Andsnes & Ragnhild Gudbrandsen
© Liv Øvland

Ida Aubert Bang (harp)

Cecilie Løken Hesselberg (flute)

Sigrid Holmstrand (flute)

Björn Nyman (clarinet)

Marita Elise Holme (clarinet)

Åsmund Moen (percussion)

Bernhard Butenschön (percussion)

Magnus Lille Haugen (percussion)

Sebastian Lindland (percussion)

Mari Eriksmoen (soprano)

Hilde Haraldsen Sveen (soprano)

Daniel Sæther (countertenor)

Eirik Grøtvedt (tenor)

Ragnhild Gudbransen (voice)

Yulianna Avdeeva, Johan Dalene & Julia Hagen
© Liv Øvland

Ensemble C4:

Caroline Eidsten Dahl (recorder)

Ingrid Økland (violin)

Maria Innes Zanovello (violin)

Edda Stix (viola)

Gunnar Hauge (cello)

André Lislevand (viola da gamba)

Christian Kjos (harpsichord & organ)

Jadran Duncumb (theorbo)

Kjell Tore Innervik (percussion)

Bjarni Frímann (conductor)

Knut Vaage (composer)

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival

6-10 August 2025

Rosendal, Norway -

Riddershalen, Baroniet Rosendal

Kvinnherad Church, Rosendal

The Red Room, Baroniet Rosendal

★★★★★

Ensemble C4
© Liv Øvland

Shostakovich:

'Ridout’s taut, passionate playing drew out every note, yet his crying solo, as if from a distance, at the opening of the finale was achingly impressive'.

Mendelssohn:

'The enhanced acoustic and their enthusiasm raised the volume to extremes in places, but the sheer exuberance and obvious pleasure evident in their performance had the entire hall rapt'.

'Mari Eriksmoen communicated her Grieg with operatic drama and a bright yet powerful tone throughout'.

'Eirik Grøtvedt was the real vocal revelation, however. He showed incredible bravery when producing a tremulous, fragile pianissimo at the top of his range...yet he also had huge power when needed'.

Timothy Ridout & Leif Ove Andsnes
© Liv Øvland

Leif Ove Andnes:

'In his quiet, gentle way, he demonstrated a sense of the visionary leadership that has clearly built something very special in this beautiful part of Norway'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

James Baillieu & Mari Eriksmoen
© Liv Øvland

Grieg, Edvard (1843-1907): 19 Norske Folkeviser, Op. 66 No. 1, 'Kulok'

Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-1847): Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49

Tveitt, Geirr (1908-1981): Hestemennan (Horsemen)

                                         Marskveld (March evening)

                                         Bera ei sorg (Carrying grief), Op. 246 No. 9

Vaage, Knut (b.1961): Bumerang

Grieg, Edvard: Tolv Melodier (Vinjesangene), Op. 33 Nos. 6-12

                            Eit Syn (A Vision)

                            Gamle Mor (The Old Mother)

                            Det Første (The first thing)

                            Ved Rundarne (At Rondane)

                            Et Vennestykke (A Piece on Friendship)

                            Trudom (Faith)

                                Fyremål (The Goal)

Mendelssohn, Felix: Six Duets Op. 63, No. 1, Ich wollt' meine Leib' ergösse sich

                                  Die Hochzeit des Capacho, Op. 10, So kehrest du wieder

Grieg, Edvard: Seks Digte, Op. 4

                            Die Waise (The Orphan)

                            Morgen Thau (Morning Dew)

                            Abschied (Farewell)

                            Jägerlied (Hunting Song)

                            Das alte Lied (The Old Story)

                            Wo sind sie hin? (Where have they gone?)

Members of Opus13
© Liv Øvland

Gade, Niels (1817-1890): 4 Fantasiestücke, Op. 43 No. 3

Schumann, Robert (1810-1856): Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105

Mendelssohn, Felix:  String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13

Vaage, Knut: From 20 Views at Opus 54

Grieg, Edvard: Haugtussa, Op. 67

                            Det syng (The Enticement)

                            Veslemøy (Veslemøy)

                            Blaabærli (Blueberry Slope)

                            Møte (The Tryst)

                            Elsk (Love)

                            Killingdans (Kidlings' Dance)

                            Vond Dag (Hurtful Day)

                            Ved Gjætle-Bekken (At the Brook)

                             Lyric Pieces, Op. 54 No. 6, Bell Ringing

Vaage, Knut: Skråblikk på Haugtussa (Oblique Glance at Haugtussa)

Grieg, Edvard: Intermezzo for cello and piano in A minor, EG115

Vaughan Williams, Ralph (1872-1958): Six Studies in English Folk Song

Grieg, Edvard: from Barnlige Sange, Op. 61

                              3. Lok (Farmyard)

                              6. De norske fjelde (The Norwegian Mountains)

                              2. Sang til juletraet (The Christmas Tree)

                              5. Kveldssang for Blakken (Goodnight song for Dobbin)

Schumann, Robert: Märchenbilder, Op. 113

Opus13
© Liv Øvland

Grieg, Edvard:    Andantino serioso, Op. 28 No.4

                            Andante con moto, EG116

                            Tolv Melodier (Vinjesangene), Op. 33 No. 5, Langs ei Aa (Beside the Stream)

                            Norwegian Dances, Op. 35 Nos. 2-3

                            Holberg Suite, Op. 40, Sarabande & Rigaudon

Debussy, Claude (1862-1918): Syrinx

Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937): Introduction & Allegro

Clarke, Rebecca (1886-1979): Sonata for Viola and Piano

Ravel, Maurice:  3 Poèmes de Stéphane Mallar mé

                            Piano Trio

Grieg, Edvard: Fem Digte af John Paulsen, Op. 26

                            1. Et Håb (Hope)

                            2. Jeg reiste en deilig Sommerkvæld (I walked one balmy summer eve)

                            3. De Ærgjerrige (You whispered that you loved me)

                            4. Med en Primula veris (The first primrose)

                            5. På Skogstien (Autumn thoughts)

                         Sex Digte af Ibsens, Op. 25

                            1. Spillemænd (Fiddlers)

                            2. En Svane (A Swan)

                            3. Stambogsrim (Album Lines)

                            4. Med en Vandlilje (With a Waterlily)

                            5. Borte! (Departed!)

                            6. En Fuglevise (A Birdsong)

                         String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Vierne, Louis (1870-1937): Piano Quintet, Op. 42
Nordheim, Arne (1931-2010): from Three Unexpected Songs, No.2 Ore, fermate il solo

Marini, Biagio (1594-1663): Balletto secondo, Op. 22 No. 2

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'Opp av jorda' (Spring)

Silvestrov, Valentin (b.1937): Bagatelle Op. 1 No. 2

Marais, Marin (1656-1728): Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, Prelude No. 93

                                             Suite VI en sol majeur du Cinquième Livre de pièces de viole, Chaconne No. 83

                                             Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, Sarabande No. 99

                                             Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, La Guitare No. 107

Leclair, Jean-Marie (1697-1964): from Deuxième récréation de musique, Op. 8, No. 6 Chaconne

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'Hauste inn' (Autumn)

Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975): Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147

Scarlatti, Alessandro (1660-1725): Sinfonia di concerto grosso, No. 8 in G major

Grieg, Edvard: Romancer (ældre og nyere), Op. 39

                            1. Fra Monte Pincio (From Monte Pincio)

                            3. I Liden højt deroppe (Upon a grassy hillside)

                            4. Millon Roser (Among roses)

                        6 Digte af Holger Drachmann, Op. 49, No. 6 Forårsregn (Spring Showers)

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Tveitt, Geirr: Femti Folkatonar frao Hardanger for klaver, Op. 150
                             25. The call of the dairy maid

                             39. Visiting Saturday in the mountains

                             10. What beer!

                             11. God's goodness and God's greatness

Duparc, Henri (1848-1933): Phidylé

                                             Cinq mélodies, Op. 2 No. 1. Soupir

                                             La vague et la cloche

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'kom lindereid kom' (Summer)

Mendelssohn, Felix: String Octet in E flat major, Op. 20

Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741):

Trio Sonata No. 12 in D minor, RV 63 'La Folia'

Andriessen, Louis (1939-2021): Workers Union

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston