St Petersburg, Concert Hall

The Trondheim Soloists ensemble

Artistic Director: Øyvind Gimse
Soloists: Eldbjørg and Ragnhild Hemsing (hardangerfele – traditional Norwegian violin)

 


The programme includes:
Edvard Grieg
Two Melodies for Strings, Op. 53
Norwegian Melody
The First Meeting

Lasse Thoresen
Sprang (Russian premiere)

Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70

The Trondheim Soloists (Trondheimsolistene) from Norway is one of the most exciting young ensembles performing on the international stage today.
In February 2011 a group of classical musicians from Norway returned to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, sharing the red carpet with the greatest names in musical entertainment. They’re not from a powerhouse orchestra in Oslo or Bergen, but from a picturesque town hemmed in by mountains and a fjord. They’re the Trondheim Soloists under Artistic Director Øyvind Gimse, and were present to receive their fifth Grammy nomination in three years.
This was the latest in a long list of accolades. The ensemble’s spirit, diligence and innovation are paying off once again – this pure, adaptable, impulsive and idiosyncratic group is fast building a reputation for quality and originality.
It all began in 1988. The ensemble, initially conceived to train young string players, soon became known for its energy and warmth. On the orchestra’s first tour abroad, London audiences simply couldn’t stop applauding. The Trondheim Soloists later turned professional, but their spirit of apprenticeship has remained, student musicians becoming part of its “constitution”.
Major collaborations with acclaimed musicians soon followed. Anne-Sophie Mutter has sought out the ensemble’s energy and verve. Leif Ove Andsnes has tapped into its smoothness and sensitivity. Folk and rock artists have discovered its versatility and openness.
Today the orchestra revels under Øyvind Gimse, a musician with the enthusiasm of a teenager and the mind of a virtuoso. He has tapped into the ensemble’s lifeblood of youth and discovery, pushing back the boundaries of its repertoire and taking it across the globe. The founding vision of violinist Bjarne Fiskum has been retained, though today the Trondheim Soloists may also be heard in New York, Beijing, London, Berlin and Cape Town.
Trondheim, however, always shines through. They call it “the city with a heart”. And that’s precisely what you hear in the unmistakable sound of the Trondheim Soloists.

Age category 6+

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