A musical journey from a church hall to an island gem

A Romantic Beginning

The day’s first concert, titled From Romanticism to Impressionism, offered a delicate yet powerful journey through some of the most emotionally charged works in music history.

We were first lifted by Vaughan Williams’ most famous and beloved work, The Lark Ascending, masterfully performed by Sonoko Miriam Welde on violin, with Nikita Khnykin on piano. The piece is inspired by a poem by George Meredith, which describes a skylark rising toward the sky in song. Welde painted the bird’s flight with such lightness that one could almost hear the soft beat of wings in the silence between the notes.
"He rises and begins to round / He drops the silver chain of sound…"

Next came Maurice Ravel’s La Valse, which the composer himself described as a "choreographic poem", a kind of tone-poem with a balletic character. Marianna Shirinyan and Nikita Khnykin performed the piece with gripping intensity.

The concert concluded with César Franck’s iconic Sonata in A major, in a moving version for cello and piano. Sandra Lied Haga – who recently made her debut at Carnegie Hall – and Marianna Shirinyan demonstrated why this work is one of the most frequently performed chamber pieces in the world. The audience at the Valdres Folk Museum remained silent for a moment after the final note faded — as if the music needed time to settle — before the silence was suddenly broken by applause.

Powerful Encounters in Slidredomen

Later in the afternoon, we were called to Slidredomen — quite literally — by Sytske Pas, who blew the day forward with Wagner’s Siegfried’s Horn Call. Inside the ancient church, it quickly became clear that this would be no place for rest.

Nikita Khnykin, who has demonstrated impressive range throughout the festival, performed piano works by Alexander Scriabin. Together with Sytske Pas, he also presented Camille Saint-Saëns’ piece for horn and piano — and the two blended their instruments into an elegant dialogue between power and vulnerability.

The evening culminated in César Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor, performed by Opus13 and Shirinyan — and it was as if the entire church was transformed. The quartet played as a single organism — from the very first note to the last, with all the technical and musical complexity and an energy that struck the audience straight in the heart.

Pure Magic on Vesleøya

As night fell the festival turned its gaze to Vesleøya — and to what would become one of this year’s great audience favorites: Opera Night on Vesleøya. With the weather forecast in mind and wind rustling through the trees, there was tension in the air leading up to the evening. But then, as if the weather gods themselves were on the festival’s side, the wind calmed, and the audience arrived in droves, armed with blankets and anticipation.

Strings of lights in the treetops, small boats on the fjord, and laughter in the forest set the stage for an evening filled with opera’s greatest moments — from Mozart and Bizet, through Tchaikovsky to Puccini. The artists — Yngve Søberg, Ebba Lejonclou, Alexander Rybak, and Eirik Grøtvedt — delivered deeply emotional performances. As Alf Richard Kraggerud said:

– It took over 30 years before we had the great idea to offer opera here on Vesleøya.

And what an idea it was. The opera truly resonated and we dare say many went home that night with the melodies close to their hearts.