– “Over the Sea to a Higher Sky”

Conductor: Peter Szilvay
Soloist, piano: Håvard Gimse

Program
Johan Svendsen: Prélude
Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16
Ståle Kleiberg: FIRST PERFORMANCE: Symphony No. 3 - Over the Sea to a Higher Sky
 

Kleiberg's latest symphony is premiered this evening in an exciting duet with Grieg's iconic A minor concerto.

We get a long-awaited re-hearing of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, a concerto that was an immediate success already at its premiere. Later, it has triumphed around the world, and is, next to the Peer Gynt suite, his most famous and performed work. For many, this is the very “sound of Norway” and it is also the most successful Norwegian orchestral work of all time. The soloist is none other than Håvard Gimse, one of Norway's foremost pianists.

In the summer of 1825, the ship "Restauration" leaves Stavanger, heading for America. Three months later, the first Norwegian emigrants land in New York. The emigration from Norway has begun. In his third symphony, Kleiberg has chosen to focus on Norwegian emigration to the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. The symphony is part of the build-up to the National Jubilee in 2030, where the theme for 2025 is migration and identity. Here, Norwegian emigration history will be central, and the symphony is intended to be premiered as part of the "National Emigrant Jubilee 2025".

"Over the Sea to a Higher Sky" has three movements, where each movement is linked to a natural or landscape image; 1. Hello, 2. Sea and 3. Sky, and the narrative structure of the symphony is thus "From hello over the sea, to a higher sky".

Classical prelude
Would you like to know more about tonight's composers and works? We invite you to the "Classical Prelude" prior to the concert. Here you will have the opportunity to learn more about the music that will be performed, the composers behind the works, and the historical contexts that have shaped them. Everyone is welcome to participate, whether you are an experienced listener or completely new to classical music.

Location: The foyer outside the Main Hall on the 3rd floor.
Time: 6:45 PM (duration 15-20 minutes).