Evgeny Kissin plays Liszt
Bergen International Festival 2011 takes place between 25 May and 8 June with more than 100 different performances. The full programme will be launched on 13 January and tickest are on sale from 17 January.
Evgeny Kissin plays Liszt
The legendary Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin appears in concert at the Bergen International Festival on Monday 30 May.
A pianist in the great Russian tradition, Kissin has at an early age already achieved renown for his technical prowess and depth of expression. His programme in Bergen is designed to showcase the brilliant and personal style of Liszt – the great virtuoso pianist of the nineteenth century.
Born in Moscow in 1971, Evgeny Kissin made his debut at the age of twelve. He has given recitals in Europe, America and Asia, performed with all the leading orchestras of the world and received numerous awards.
Programme:
Ricordanza (Étude d’exécution transcendante No 9) S139
Sonata in B Minor S178
Funérailles S154:7
Vallée d’Obermann S160:6
Grieghallen 30 May
New work by Sharon Eyal
The Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal will be creating another exclusive work for the Norwegian national company of contemporary dance, Carte Blanche.
Sharon Eyal adapted and restaged Love for Carte Blanche in 2005 and in 2008 created Killer Pig for the company, a piece now widely acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.
Born in Jerusalem in 1971, Sharon Eyal became one of the spectacular dancers of the Batsheva Dance Company. During her time there, she developed her talents as a choreographer, becoming so adept that she was named associate artistic director, and later also house choreographer. Her breakthrough came in 2003 with the piece Love. With her unique style, Eyal has rapidly won international recognition.
In her new work, Eyal will once again challenge existing norms and rules through her unique choreographic style that offers an unusual and innovative movement language. Eyal will be working together with her seasoned team of collaborators – co-creator Guy Bachar and soundtrack designer Ori Lichtik.
Carte Blanche is an ensemble of 14 dancers representing many different nationalities. They have won recognition for their technical skill and powerful stage presence. The company, one of Scandinavia’s foremost dance ensembles, tours extensively in Norway and is regularly invited to perform abroad. Belgian Bruno Heynderickx has been the company’s artistic and general director since August 2008.
Grieghallen 3 June
Farinelli celebrates the 20th birthday of Les Talens Lyriques
To celebrate its 20th anniversary the Baroque ensemble Les Talens Lyriques returns to one of the founding projects of the ensemble: Farinelli il Castrato
Les Talens Lyriques was founded in 1991 in the same festive and passionate spirit as Rameau’s opera from which the name is taken: Les Fêtes d’Hébé or Les Talens Lyriques. Christophe Rousset’s ambition was to bring together young Baroque musicians to explore rarely performed repertoire. Devoted to this task, Les Talens Lyriques has built up an envious reputation through its concerts, operas and recordings, consistently treating composers with respect.
In 1994 the ensemble recorded the soundtrack to the film Farinelli il Castrato, which won a Golden Globe. In their Bergen programme Les Talens Lyriques seek to recreate the excitement and exhilaration inspired by that most famous of all castrato singers.
Ann Hallenberg from Sweden has established herself as one of Europe’s leading mezzo-sopranos. She regularly appears in the world’s greatest opera houses and has recorded numerous CDs and DVDs with music by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Mozart.
Conductor and harpsichord: Christophe Rousset
Mezzo-soprano: Ann Hallenberg
Les Talens Lyriques
Programme:
Nicola Porpora (1686–1768)
Polifemo
Alto Giove
Riccardo Broschi (1698–1756)
Artaserse
Son qual nave ch’agitata
Idaspe
Ombrafedeleanch’io
Leonardo da Vinci (1690–1730)
Il Medo
Scherzo dell’ondainstabile
Nicola Porpora (1686–1768)
Semiramidericonosciuta
Si pietosoiltuolabro
Sietebarbare
In braccio a mille furie
Grieghallen 26 May
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra: Verdi’s Requiem
The final performance of the 2011 Bergen International Festival is Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, composed in 1874. This musical icon is a monumental work depicting heaven and hell, darkness and light, yet at the same time it portrays an intimate encounter with the complex emotions which arise at the loss of a loved one. The entire gamut of human emotion – anger, grief, the search for meaning, the all-important and the fragile – is presented by a team of first-rate soloists and two of the city’s best choirs.
Soprano: Virginia Tola
Tenor: Pavel Cernoch
Mezzo soprano: Anita Rachvelishvili
Bass: Georg Zeppenfeld
Conductor: Andrew Litton
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Bergen Philharmonic Choir
Collegium Musicum Choir
Grieghallen 7 & 8 June