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Artists

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Terje Tønnesen artistic leader
Halldis Rønning conductor

Nils Harald Sødal tenor

Silje Aker Johnsen sopran

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Programme

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Georg Philipp Telemann

Don Quixote Suite, TWV 55:G10

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Henry Purcell

Bess of Bedlam

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John Coprario

Tom of Bedlam

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John Eccles 

Restless in thought 

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Olav Anton Thommessen

From Nijinsky's diary (world premiere)

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Peter Maxwell Davies

Eight Songs for a Mad King

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Long Live Madness - leastwise within the limits of our musical universe. 
In this programme, we invite you to a journey from the Baroque - when madness was considered as something of a godly nature to be entertained with - to the modern depiction of mad kings and the insanity of an artist. All this - at the expense of our tears as well as our laughter. 

 

While Don Quixote in Telemann's suite displays a ridiculous idealist and dreamer, Bess and Tom of Bedlam sing out their wretched fates through the poignant music from the Baroque. Further raising the musical stakes; from the tradig diary of the legendary ballett dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky - he who premiered The Rite of Spring - Olav Anton Thommessen has created an astonishing portrayal of anguish, with the great sense of inevitability. 
The concert culminates in Peter Maxwell Davies' harrowing monodrama about King George III's descent into madness. 

In the role of the King who is trapped inside his own disintegrating mind, tenor Nils Harald Sødal delivers a convincing performance with a tremendous command of register spanning five octaves. 

Doors open at 7pm and the concert commences at 7:30pm.

This concert is in collaboration with the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival.

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