Heart Strings
This year's closing concert is inspired by the emotional entanglements between several composers. We also invite the Festival Choir to Risør Church.
About the concert
A week in Risør is drawing to a close, and with more classical concerts than ever, we end it in one of Norway's most important venues for classical music.
The music is drawn from composers who were inspired by one another both musically, but also more intimately and close to the heart.
Having your heartstrings played can be both pleasant and painful, but we promise full-on goosebumps when the church is filled with the sound of this year's Festival Choir.
Additional Content
Concert Works
This concert has an intermission before César Franck's Piano Quintet.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo in D Major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791): Rondo in D Major, K. 382 (1782)
This composition is a new finale to the original Piano Concerto in D Major, K. 175, and Mozart wrote home to his father that it was: "making ... a furore in Vienna".
Performers:
- Alexandra Dariescu, piano
- Jan Söderblom, violin
- Arabella Steinbacher, violin
- Eivind Ringstad, viola
- Amalie Thing Helseth, cello
Camille Saint-Saëns: Le Rouet d'Omphale
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921): Le Rouet d'Omphale, Op. 31 (1871)
For Francophiles, the connection with the concert title is obvious, as this work translates to Omphale's Spinning Wheel.
Hercules is condemned to serve Omphale, and for three years, disguised as a woman, he spins at her wheel.
The work is one of Saint-Saëns's symphonic poems based on Greek mythology, and is dedicated to Augusta Holmès
Performers:
- Sveinung Bjelland, piano
- Gunnar Flagstad, piano
Augusta Holmès: Selections from Vingt mélodies
Augusta Holmès (1847–1903): Selections from Vingt mélodies (1872–1902)
Augusta Holmès was a French composer of Irish descent who wrote music in an era when expectations for female composers were often narrower than for men. Holmès was a student of Franck, and she wrote emotionally powerful and dramatic songs, as well as larger works.
Performers:
- Tine Thing Helseth, trumpet
- Roderick Williams, baritone
César Franck: Piano Quintet in F Minor
César Franck (1822–1890): Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 14 (1879)
- Molto moderato quasi lento
- Lento, con molto sentimento
- Allegro non troppo, ma con fuoco
Franck dedicated this piece "To my good friend Camille Saint-Saëns", and it was completed in 1879. Saint-Saëns played the piano part at its premiere on January 17, 1880. Described as an explosion of stormy emotions, it remains one of Franck's major works.
Performers:
- Isata Kanneh‑Mason, piano
- Johan Dalene, violin
- Alena Baeva, violin
- Lilli Maijala, viola
- Frida Fredrikke Wærvågen, cello
Composers
Artists
Tine Thing Helseth
Tine Thing Helseth
Trumpet & Artistic Director
Isata Kanneh‑Mason
Isata Kanneh‑Mason
Piano
Arabella Steinbacher
Arabella Steinbacher
Violin
Frida Fredrikke Wærvågen
Frida Fredrikke Wærvågen
Cello
Alexandra Dariescu
Alexandra Dariescu
Piano
Jan Söderblom
Jan Söderblom
Violin
Eivind Ringstad
Eivind Ringstad
Viola
Amalie Thing Helseth
Amalie Thing Helseth
Cello
Sveinung Bjelland
Sveinung Bjelland
Piano
Gunnar Flagstad
Gunnar Flagstad
Piano
Roderick Williams
Roderick Williams
Baritone
Johan Dalene
Johan Dalene
Violin
Alena Baeva
Alena Baeva
Violin
Lilli Maijala
Lilli Maijala
Viola