A musical experience of the Northern Lights without traveling to the Arctic Circle: it is possible on Saturday May 18 in TivoliVredenburg. That evening there will be a special edition of the AVROTROS Friday Concert with music from Scandinavian regions. Friday concert programmer Jorinke van Deelen says: “This concert offers the visitor a Northern Lights experience.”
Before there was a scientific explanation for the Northern Lights, there were mainly mythical stories used to explain the phenomenon. These mythical stories are central during the Friday concert. This special edition of the AVROTROS Friday Concert gives you the opportunity to experience a phenomenon such as the Northern Lights. Immerse yourself in arctic atmospheres with matching music, soundscapes and visuals.
Experience from a comfortable room
Programmer Jorinke explains what is special about this AVROTROS Friday concert. “The Northern Lights appeal to the imagination. This concert offers you that experience, but from the comfortable hall of TivoliVredenburg instead of in the cold.”
Conductor Benjamin Goodson accompanies the Groot Omroepkoor in the concert. “They follow the northern lights. On their journey they pick up serene and sacred choral compositions by composers from Iceland, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. For example, by the Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir.” You could hear her music in the film Tár, among others.
All-encompassing concert
“The Groot Omroepkoor also crosses over to Latvia and Finland and performs enchanting choral music by Vasks and Rautavaara.” You will also hear music based on age-old traditionals. “These are performed by Norwegian soloists Bjarte Eike (violin) and Hans Knut Sveen (keyboards). Add to that the direction of Elsina Jansen, matching visuals by Noralie (Noortje van den Eijnde) and soundscapes and you have a comprehensive Northern Lights concert.”
The selection for the music was not easy, says Jorinke. “There is so much beautiful choral music coming from the north. We looked at the lyrics and the character of the music.” A varied program has been created that is both accessible and adventurous. “Even if you never listen to classical music, you immediately hear that this music comes from the north.”
Friday concerts
Every week you can attend an AVROTROS Friday concert from TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. The concerts are broadcast live on NPO Klassiek. “The fact that it can be heard both on the radio and live provides an extra dimension. I program for a very large audience, both in the hall and at home. That variety in the series really appeals to me.”
The programming is varied: from well-known masterpieces to music from Dutch soil and from premieres to emerging talent. “I always keep my eyes and ears open for young, talented soloists, composers and conductors.”
The coming season
The theme for the coming season is imagination. “There are masterpieces in which the power of dreams, fantasy, stories and fairy tales are central. The Groot Omroepkoor is giving another special concert, led by the American conductor and composer Eric Whitacre and with harpist Lavinia Meijer.”
The Northern Lights concert takes place on Saturday, May 18. You can order tickets via the website. Can’t be there? The concert will also be broadcast on May 24 at 8:00 PM on NPO Klassiek.
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