Festive Concert

Music from Scandinavia and Great Britain takes centre stage at this year's Festive Concerts. Grieg, Lumbye, Ahlen, Nielsen, Elgar, Wood, Arne, Jenkins - all are connected by their Nordic heritage and a distinctive, personal musical language. Soloists Julia Obert (soprano) and Kalle Randalu (piano) lead the programme. They are joined by the musical and dance ensembles of Volksschauspiele, the Children's and Youth Choir under Maria Bagger's direction, the Project Choir with Bernard Bagger as conductor, and ballet groups under Julia Krug's choreography. The Ensemble ConFuoco, conducted by Florian Ganz, provides the orchestral accompaniment.

The programme features Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor with Kalle Randalu as soloist, excerpts from the incidental music to "Peer Gynt" - some danced, some sung by soprano Julia Obert in "Solveig's Lied". She will also perform the classic from London's "Last Night of the Proms", Thomas Arne's "Rule Britannia". Gustav Ahlen's "Sommarpsalm", passages from Carl Nielsen's cantata "Fynsk Foraar" (Funen Spring) and Sibelius' "Finlandia" will be performed by the choirs. For the youth choirs, Bernard Bagger has arranged a "Frozen-Medley". Dance highlights include Hans Christian Lumbye's "Dagmar Vals", Karl Jenkins' "Palladio" and Sir Henry Wood's "Fantasia on British Sea Songs".

Expect a Nordic evening brimming with the "Pomp and Circumstances" of Great Britain, yet also the yearning melodies and romantic landscapes characteristic of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.