This year, the already traditional “Nordic Night” forges a bridge from Norway via Sweden, Denmark to Latvia and Estonia. ‘Papillon’ is a new piece by the great Danish composer Bent Sørensen and is performed for the very first time. Written for the Swedish Stenhammar Quartet and Katrine Gislinge (DK) at the piano, this is the first part of a large-scale trilogy. The BOA trio from Norway brings 10 miniatures by Norwegian composers to a German premiere, crossing of the border between Pop and contemporary music with the charismatic singer Tora Augestad (NO). Nordic Voices provides Berlin with a world-class a cappella collective from Norway and unveils new sound worlds with tones clear as glass. The evening concludes with a performance of the Electronic Sound Art Project with Björn Svin, SØS Gunver Ryberg and Cristian Vogel from Denmark, a DJ trio that constantly redefines electronic music in a very curious way.

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NORDIC VOICES

A-Capella

Singing with its outstanding vocal brilliance and an enormous diversity of sound, the vocal ensemble Nordic Voices has gained the reputation as an internationally leading ensemble in its genre. Their musical repertoire ranges from medieval to contemporary music. With a focus on contemporary music, countless impressive opuses have been created in the last years.
In tight cooperation with Norwegian composers and interprets, Nordic Voices devote themselves to the vocal music of their native. The ensemble likes to surprise with the use of unusual voice techniques. In two concert blocks, there will be presented two young Norwegian composers that are put into a historical context. ranging from medieval to contemporary music. In their performances, their ambition to explore the voice’s edge and overstep it gets evident. Not uncommonly, the ensemble likes to use unusual voice techniques.

Nordic Voices
Tone Elisabeth Braaten (soprano), Ingrid Hanken (soprano), Ebba Rydh (mezzo-soprano), Per Kristian Amundrød (tenor), Frank Havrøy (baritone/tenor), Trond Olav Reinholdtsen (bass)

ROSENBAD PAPILLONS

Stenhammar Quartett (SE) / Katrine Gislinge (DK)

The new piano quintet ‘Rosenbad-Papillons’ by Danish composer Bent Sørensen is the first part of a large-scale trilogy. The two additional parts consist of ‘Pantomime’ for piano and ensemble, and ‘Mignon’ for piano and string orchestra. The piano part stays the same in all three components, but the ranking of the seven sets in total changes, as well as the music spinning round the solo part. The title ‘Rosenbad’ derives from the novel ‘Ehrengard’ by Karen Blixen and is, at the same time, a very personal hommage to Katrine Gislinge, a pianist highly venerated by the componist. ‘Rosenbad’ was commissioned by the Stenhammer quartet and Katrine Gislinge and is dedicated to these very same artists.

Stenhammar Quartett
Peter Olofsson (violin), Per Öman (violin), Tony Bauer (viola), Mats Olofsson (cello)
Katrine Gislinge (piano)

FOKUS ESTLAND

Ensemble Una Corda (EST)

Una Corda is an ensemble with a unique composition, encompassing three multi-string instruments: the harp, kannel and harpsichord. Despite the different historical backgrounds and characteristic timbres of the instruments, they are similar in terms of playing by plucking and intimate sound. Una Corda presents original compositions as well as Una Corda’s arrangements of Estonian music from the past century, bringing these valuable classical compositions into new light.There will be a special focus on pieces by Estonian composers Helena Tulve and Miriam Tally.

Ensemble Una Corda
Kristi Mühling (kannel), Liis Viira, (harp), Ene Nael, (harpsichord)

MOON OVER TOWNS

BOA Trio (NO)

The new project of the BOA Trio explores the borderland between popular and contemporary music. 10 composers of the Norwegian pop and avant-garde scene have composed songs for BOA: Jarle Berhoft-Sjodin, Eivind Buene, Evan Gardner, Hanne Hukkelberg, Jenny Hval, Ole Henrik Moe Jr., Morten Qvenild, Susanne A. Sundfør, Christian Wallumrød and Bugge Wesseltoft. The BOA Trio members are some of the most renowned musicians of Norwegian contemporary music scene. At the same time, all members have experiences in different genres like classic, cabaret, pop, jazz and rock and consistently explore new forms and sound-landscapes of a multifaceted repertoire. BOA has performed several times at Ultima Festival in Oslo and recently published its debut CD mOOn Over tOwns.

BOA Trio
Morten Barrikmo (clarinet), Tanja Orning (cello), Tora Augestad (vocals)

LOST AND FOUND

Ensemble Adapter (D/IS)

This year, the Ensemble Adapter presents experimental as usual new treasures of today’s Nordic Music with their new project ‘Lost and Found’. Three young composers on their way to an international career from Denmark, Iceland and Finland have written new pieces for Adapter that are premiered in this context. The three composers Simon Løffler (DK), Þráinn Hjálmarsson (IS) und Jouni Hirvelä (FIN) like experiments, and the result is three new opuses that arrange a meeting of traditional instruments like flute, clarinet, harp and drums on one side and effect pedals, electronic, cable and neon light effects on the other.

Ensemble Adapter
Kristjana Helgadóttir (flute), Ingólfur Vilhjálmsson (clarinet), Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir (harp), Matthias Engler (drums)

SHADOWS AND DIALOGUES

SØS Gunver Ryberg (DK) / Bjorn Svin (DK) / Cristian Vogel (D)

Three of the most renown artists of the international electronic club-scene will devote themselves to various styles in two concert blocks. The first performance will present SGR^CAV, a new music collaboration between Cristian Vogel and SØS Gunver Ryberg. Their compositions encourage the listener to observe and explore the resonances of a powerful musical awareness. - SØS Gunver Ryberg (DK), composer, sound artist and performer, works in the intersection between electronic music and sound art. Her expression is known for its transformative strong physical power. Raw sounds framed by almost symphonic forms creates a unique expressivity. She has been awarded several times for her music and constant seek to mix new forms of expression and new medias. Cristian Vogel (GER) is a composer, music producer and performer, known worldwide for his improvisational concerts, large scale compositions for contemporary dance and many studio productions. He has been a long-term innovator in the composition, mixing and performance of electronic sounds. In January 2014 the duo has released their new recording 'MOVED BY MAGNETS' on the cassette label Tapeworm.

Within the the second performance the Danish DJ and composer Bjorn Sviin (DK) will enter a dialogue with Norwegian vocal ensemble Nordic Voices. With improvised electronic sound-landscapes he will ‘comment’ and re-link pieces by young Norwegian composers that have been commissioned by the ensemble. An inspiring interaction of pure human voice and pure electronic sounds.

Bjorn Svin (live electronic/DJ set), Cristian Vogel (live electronic), SØS Gunver Ryberg (live electronic/tape)


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Choir.Baltic.

Under the charismatic Estonian conductor Tõnu Kaljuste, RIAS Chamber Choir and the Ensemble Resonanz from Hamburg will perform works by Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kõrvits, Lepo Sumeta and Peteris Vasks.

It is a bet that some words come to your mind on its own if you think of Estonian Music, its very special state and character. Words like rest, meditation, interiority or universal harmony. And it is a bet that you come to a standstill if you have to call more than three composers whose oeuvre is highly influenced by these characteristics. Tüür might come to your mind, maybe Tulev and of course Arvo Pärt, whose music delivers the archetype for our impressions of the cultural land at the Gulf of Finland. Music that manages to defy the laws of gravity and time with the simplest tools – like in Adam’s Lament, his approach on the poetry of the Russian-Orthodox munch Siluan of Athos, written 2012 in order of the European Capitals of Culture Istanbul and Tallinn. But Estonia is also Lepo Sumera. The range of musical genres that he enriched leaves us with no inferior impression than the stylistic variety of his tools of expression. The Concerto per voci e strumenti, composed 1997 for Tõnu Kaljuste and his festival VoxEstFest, is a virtuous tonal play with words and syllables, so waspish, humorous and artful that it can be heard like a counter draft to Pärt’s invulnerable magic of symmetry. In between there is as a Latvian counterpoint the warm-hearted as well as humble Prayer in Memory of mother Teresa by Pēteris Vasks, an order by Latvijas Radio Koris and RIAS Chamber Choir, and a piece that has never been played before in Germany. The Baltic has many voices!

RIAS Kammerchor and Ensemble Resonanz
> Tönu Kaljuste, Direction

Info and tickets: www.rias-kammerchor.de
Entrance Fees: ‚Choir.Baltic’: 23,00 € to 35,00 €
Venue: Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1, 10785 Berlin

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