Bergen International Festival 2016 | Page 56

056 BE RGE N INTE RN AT I ON AL FE STIVAL 2016 FOU N DAT I ON S FOU N DAT ION S B E RG E N IN T E RN AT ION A L F E ST IVA L 2 01 6 057 Sir András Schiff piano The Goldberg Variations JOSEPH HAYDN (1732–1809) Sonata no. 60 in C major, Hob. XVI:50 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Sonata no. 30 in E major, Op. 109 WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791) Sonata no. 16 in C major, KV 545 FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828) Sonata in C minor, D 958 Christian Ihle Hadland Sir András Schiff m H Å KON SH A L L E N DAT E / T IME Friday 27 May at 19:30 m H Å KO N S H A L L E N DAT E/ T I M E Thursday 26 May at 19:30 D U RAT IO N 1:15 OT H ER Introduction in Norwegian by Annabel Guaita at 18:55 T IC KET Standard: 420 Under 30: 150 Festival Card: 30 % discount Great sonatas performed by one of the most charismatic pianists of our time. Sir András Schiff was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2014 for his services to music. One of the most prominent characters in cla ssical music, he tours worldwide, with the exception of his native country Hungary, which he boycotts in political protest, as ‘a great opponent of the political situation there now.’ Sir András Schiff is equally uncompromising in his music; he has two spare Steinway grand pianos which he is willing to take on tour with him in order to ensure the best possible conditions for concerts. Fortunately he is happy with the new piano in Håkonshallen, on which he 056 Soothing tones and a milestone in western music. will be the first to perform. He is known for his distinctive playing style, precise and attentive to the slightest detail in every note and chord, resulting in performances that conjure up every nuance in works by the great composers. Sir András Schiff himself emphasises that all music is in the last analysis merely a game to bring out the man behind the music. ‘The audience … want to be swept off their feet – it’s about a kind of controlled letting go. Risk taking is part of it, and that requires courage,’ as he told Ilona Oltuski in August 2015. Sponsored by DNV GL #FE STSPILLEN E16 DU RAT ION 1:00 Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations consist of an aria and thirty different variants of it. The music provides the soloist with plenty of scope for a variety of interpretations and expressions, and Christian Ihle Hadland takes advantage of this. OT H E R Introduction in Norwegian by Annabel Guaita at 18:55 T IC K E T Standard: 400 Under 30: 150 Festival Card: 30 % discount ‘Three of the variations are in G minor, while the rest are in G major, so Bach creates his contrasts primarily through tempo and character. Every third variation (3, 6, 9 and so on) is a canon in which the theme is systematically repeated one tone higher each time, and the last variation is a quodlibet – several different melodies played simultaneously. One of the tunes in it is familiar from a Norwegian children’s singing game,’ explains Christian. Christian Ihle Hadland (1983–) is one of Norway’s foremost pianists. After making his debut at the Norwegian Opera in 2008 he was acclaimed in Norwegian press as ‘a unique musician who from an artistic point of view can fill any concert stage in the world’. He has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and at major festivals and is now in great demand as a soloist and chamber musician. He has been a regular guest at the Bergen International Festival since 2004, appearing in solo recitals and chamber music concerts alike. In 2015 he performed with the Danish String Quartet. Christian Ihle Hadland piano JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750) The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 It is said that Bach wrote the music for Count Kaiserling, who was chronically ill and suffered from sleepless nights. Kaiserling commissioned the piece to be played during his insomnia by his personal musician, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg. W W W.F IB.N O 057