Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen donates new concert grand piano to the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has once again travelled to Hamburg to select an instrument from the world’s leading manufacturer of grand pianos. Accompanying him on the trip were Alexandra Jebsen, representing the donor, Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen, and Sigurd Sverdrup Sandmo.

Thanks to a generous donation of NOK 12 million from Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen, the Bergen Philharmonic was able to purchase a new concert grand piano in 2012. At the time, the instrument cost approximately NOK 1.2 million, and the remaining funds were used in connection with the orchestra’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2015. Now, the foundation has once again donated a concert grand piano to the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

– Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen is very proud to support the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, which provides the city with cultural experiences of the highest quality. We are delighted by this new opportunity to mark a partnership that has spanned many years, says Managing Director Nicholas Nunn.

In 2012, Leif Ove Andsnes tested seven concert grand pianos before selecting the one that now stands in Grieghallen, an instrument that has seen frequent use since he inaugurated it during the Bergen International Festival that same year.

The list of pianists who have played the instrument in the fourteen years since 2012 is long and prestigious. In addition to Andsnes, notable names include Víkingur Ólafsson, Sir Stephen Hough, Kirill Gerstein, Alice Sara Ott, Benjamin Grosvenor, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Lars Vogt, Federico Colli, and Yuliana Avdeeva.

The time has now come for a new concert grand piano. The old one remains usable, though for a different purpose, such as a practice instrument or an orchestral piano. Leif Ove Andsnes puts it this way:

– The challenge in a large concert hall is that the piano requires significant structural tension to produce the brilliance and radiant tone expected of an instrument in such a space. The piano must be able to hold its own against a large symphony orchestra. A new concert grand piano possesses the necessary tension to achieve this.

In August, Andsnes returned to Steinway & Sons, this time with ten grand pianos to choose from. A choice was made, and the new piano will be inaugurated at the concert on Thursday 24 September, featuring Andsnes himself as soloist in Johannes Brahms’ magnificent Piano Concerto No. 2. Rasmus Hella Mikkelsen conducts.

Many thanks to the Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen for yet another generous gift!