Norwegian composers and musicians in the 19th century usually travelled to Leipzig or Berlin to receive their musical education. Around 1900, however, new impulses from France began to make a strong impact on Norwegian music. Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and their contemporary French composers developed new ideals of sound and form – what we today know as musical Impressionism.
In this concert, we hear several Norwegian interpretations of French Impressionism, for many a relatively unknown chapter of Norwegian music history. The music is performed within the extensive Frits Thaulow exhibition at Permanenten.
Thaulow himself spent several years in France, was deeply passionate about music, and knew several French composers personally. As an artist, he was also strongly influenced by the French Impressionists. It is therefore hard to imagine a better setting in which to experience this music than among the artworks of Frits Thaulow.
About the artist
Ole Christian Haagenrud is regarded as one of the most promising young pianists in Norway today. He has appeared as a soloist with professional symphony orchestras such as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Many of his concerts have been broadcast on national and international television and radio. In 2014, he gave his debut concert in the University Aula in Oslo, and the same year he was awarded the prestigious Robert Levin Festival Prize. He recently completed his participation in Talent Norway’s major new initiative ArtEx (Artist in Excellence).