Season 262. Renewal and expectations
Chief Conductor Designate Tabita Berglund opens the Orchestra's 262nd season, and her first, with a programme she has clearly left her mark on, featuring music by three generations of Norwegian composers, including composer-in-residence Ørjan Matre. In her first season, Berglund will also conduct three concerts with Sibelius, Bartók, Adámek, Brahms and Tchaikovsky on the programme.
This season we can look forward to the world premiere of two of Ørjan Matre's works – Still, what remains … - for percussion and orchestra and Attmed for Hardanger fiddle, violin and orchestra, as well as a repeat performance of Lyric Pieces, Lament/Berceuse and Attempted birdhouse 2.1.
In addition to world premieres of Ørjan Matre, we also offer the world premiere of Magnus Lindberg's concerto for two pianos and orchestra, Nordic premieres of Mark Simpson's piano concerto and Ondřei Adámek's violin concerto, as well as Norwegian premieres of Jay Capperauld's Bruckner's Skull and Anna Clyne's Restless Oceans.
The season's resident musician is violinist Christian Tetzlaff, who has been a popular soloist with the orchestra several times. He will perform Edward Elgar's violin concerto, Eduard Lalo's Symphonie espagnole and Peter Tchaikovsky's violin concerto with the Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
In January, we celebrate perhaps the most influential composer in classical music, Ludwig van Beethoven, and perform all nine of his symphonies under the direction of the orchestra's popular Artistic Partner Jan Willem de Vriend. The orchestra played Beethoven when he was a contemporary composer, and in the early 19th century, symphonies by Beethoven were performed by the orchestra almost annually.
Sir Mark Elder has played a central role as the orchestra's first guest conductor since 2022, and has been responsible for many major concerts, recordings and an international tour. This season he conducts, among others, Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Edward Elgar's masterpiece The Dream of Gerontius, which rounds off his period as Principal Guest Conductor.
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dima Slobodeniuk and with Leif Ove Andsnes as soloist, will tour France and Italy in September. The programme includes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2, Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 and Anna Berg's Nuances of Water.
The audience will recognize several of the season's soloists and conductors, while also getting to know new ones. Edward Gardner is back with two concerts, and there will be visits from Nicholas Collon, Matthew Halls, Kahchun Wong, Ingunn Korsgård Hagen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Alondra de la Parra, Christian Blex, Maxim Emelyanychev, Anna Rakitina and Johannes Gustavsson. Our own Assistant Conductor Rasmus Hella Mikkelsen will lead several concerts, including one with Leif Ove Andsnes as soloist.
The line-up of soloists is impressive, including Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen, Leif Ove Andsnes, Ragnhild Hemsing, Alexander Kagan, Pavel Kolesnikov, Víkingur Ólafsson, Arthur and Lucas Jussen, Thomas Encho, Kirill Gerstein, Sarang Seohyun Kim, Maximilian Hornung, Emöke Baráth, Christina Nilsson, Camilla Nylund, Beth Taylor and Nicky Spence.
The season offers four family concerts, first with a drawing concert in collaboration with Kode, then Musical Christmas Cards, a family concert with BFUng, and finally we invite you to sing along with Sangskatten.
The successful Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra participates in two family concerts as well as a Friday concert with Christian Tetzlaff as soloist.
Bergen National Opera celebrates their twenty first years with an anniversary gala performance with highlights from these years, as well as George Benjamin's opera Written on Skin. In spring 2027, Gioachino Rossini's Barber of Seville will be performed.
The large choral productions have an important place in the orchestra's repertoire, as they will also in this season: Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Ninth and Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius.
The season is rounded off with De Unges Konsert, Norway's oldest talent factory with roots dating back to 1938.