– It was absolutely beautiful, you have to write that,” says a lady we had apologized to for a bit of back and forth during the photo session. – Oh no, that was no problem, it was such a lovely concert.
And perhaps we don’t need to say much more.
Because when some of the country’s foremost violinists from Valdres – Guro Kleven Hagen, Ragnhild Hemsing, and Eldbjørg Hemsing – take the stage together with our artistic director and brilliant soprano Ann-Helen Moen, and with young talents from the Papillon program, Nikita Khnykin on piano and Frida Leanne Rogn on cello, then it becomes an evening to remember.
In collaboration with the Hemsing Festival, Valdres sommersymfoni concluded this year’s concert series on December 22 – this time at Trykkeriet Cultural Arena, which was filled to the last and extra row.
The program ranged from Gustav Holst’s In the Bleak Midwinter, opening with a pure and clear winter mood, to Handel’s Rejoice from Messiah, interpreted with precision and Baroque elegance by Guro Kleven Hagen.
Folk tunes gained a distinctive color through Ragnhild Hemsing’s Hardanger fiddle, while Ann-Helen Moen performed Mitt hjerte alltid vanker and Det hev ei rose sprunge with warmth and expression. Tchaikovsky’s excerpts from The Nutcracker were delivered with intensity and nerve by Nikita Khnykin, and Bach’s Loure along with Mozart’s sonata showcased the violinists’ technical brilliance and musicality.
The highlight came with Schumann’s Piano Quintet – a characteristic chamber music piece that gathered all forces into a powerful finale for the concert, followed and rounded off by the communal singing of Deilig er jorden. With that, this year’s concert series ended with virtuosity, warmth, and a sense of togetherness in the hall.
