CHRISTMAS IN THE NORTH - Marianne Beate Kielland & Oslo Circles

How did Christmas sound in the Nordics three hundred years ago? We travel together through winter landscapes, church bells, and vibrant Christmas traditions from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Scotland, Poland, and Northern Germany. Together with one of Norway's leading singers, Marianne Beate Kielland, the critically acclaimed and Spellemann award-nominated baroque ensemble Oslo Circles invites you to a warm and atmospheric Christmas concert where well-known Christmas melodies meet forgotten musical treasures. In this concert, we follow the Christmas music as it traveled along trade routes and coastlines around the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. From Northern Germany's magnificent church music to Danish courts, Swedish hymns, Norwegian folk tunes, and musical traditions from across Northern Europe, a rich and vibrant musical landscape is woven together. This is Christmas as it might have sounded at the court, in churches, and in homes around the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the 17th and 18th centuries. The music spans from solemn chorales to dancing folk tunes and pastorals – with composers like Dieterich Buxtehude, Georg Philipp Telemann, James Oswald, and other masters, side by side with rarer gems and beautiful Christmas songs that deserve to be heard again. Marianne Beate Kielland's characteristic warm mezzo-soprano, combined with Oslo Circles' lively playing on historical instruments, creates a concert experience that is both intimate, beautiful, and full of energy. There will be room for reflection, joy, and plenty of Christmas magic – all conveyed with original instruments! Whether you want to relax before the Christmas holiday, experience baroque music at its most atmospheric, or find a very special gift for someone you care about, Christmas from the North is a concert that warms – and stays with you long after the last note has faded. Welcome! *** About Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-soprano: Marianne Beate Kielland is one of Europe’s leading mezzo-sopranos. She regularly performs with acclaimed orchestras and collaborates with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Thomas Dausgaard, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Fabio Luisi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and Robin Ticciati. She is particularly sought after in baroque opera, with roles such as Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Merope in Vivaldi's Oracolo in Messenia (most recently on an extensive tour with Europa Galante), and Messaggiera and Proserpina in Monteverdi’s Orfeo (most recently at Opéra Comique in Paris under the direction of Jordi Savall). In 2012, she was Grammy-nominated in the Best Classical Vocal Solo category for the album Veslemøy synsk, featuring music by Edvard Grieg and Olav Anton Thommessen. With more than 60 recordings and a repertoire spanning from the baroque to contemporary music, she has established herself as an outstanding interpreter of music from various centuries. She has long collaborated with the baroque ensemble Oslo Circles, with concerts in Norway, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, and Italy. Their recording 'Lamento' (LAWO) featuring music from the 17th century was nominated for the German music award Opus Klassik in three categories. Marianne Beate Kielland is the artistic director of the Oslo Chamber Music Festival and a professor II at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. Photo credit: David Dawson About Oslo Circles: Critically acclaimed and Spellemann award-nominated OSLO CIRCLES is a baroque ensemble from Oslo, and the musicians are established and leading musicians in the Scandinavian baroque scene. Baroque violinist Astrid Kirschner gathers musicians in musical ‘circles’ of various sizes around her. The musicians can also be found in established international groups such as Concerto Copenhagen, Concerto Italiano, B'Rock, Academia Montis Regalis, Barokkanerne, Barokksolistene, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and many more. Oslo Circles collaborates with artists such as Hana Blažíková (soprano), Guy Cutting (tenor), Johannes Weisser (bass-baritone), David Hansen (countertenor), Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo-sopra