Polyphonic harmonies.

'With two cathedral choirs in action, it will be a varied and powerful choral experience. We will use the grand acoustics and fill the church with sound,' says Kjetil Almenning, cathedral cantor and conductor of Bergen Cathedral Choir.

During the Bergen International Festival, he and his choir will be joined by their colleagues from the southern Norwegian city of Kristiansand, with nearly 70 singers set to perform works from the 1500s and 1600s by Gabrieli, Praetorius, and Palestrina, and Arvo Pärt’s Berlin Mass, written in 1990.

'It has been 500 years since Palestrina was born, and he holds a special place for most choir members. His polyphonic compositions are mathematical and rule-bound in nature, yet they feel both free and artistically complete,' says Almenning.

The centuries-old church music of the Renaissance stands side by side with a mass composed by a contemporary master.

'Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday is in 2025. His music is as timeless as the old masters and already feels like a canon of our time. It has the ability to resonate with audiences on first listening, while also becoming richer and more layered with each subsequent hearing,' says the cathedral cantor.

Bergen Cathedral Choir was established in 2009 and maintains a high level of activity with frequent concerts and annual tours. Kristiansand Cathedral Choir, founded in 1952, holds a prominent position in the sacred music scene of its hometown.

Image: Bergen Cathedral Choir (photo: Tuva Åserud)