Norwegian Christmas Concert 2013 St Martin-in-the-Fields Friday 6th December 7.30pm
• Smoking and the consumption of food and drink are not allowed in the church. • Kindly switch off mobile phones and alarms on digital watches. • Flash photography and audio or video recording are not permitted. • The interval is 20 minutes. A bell will be rung 5 minutes and 2 minutes before the end of the interval. Once the concert starts again admittance will only be between pieces.
• The Café in the Crypt is normally open during the interval. The Gallery and the Café in the Crypt can be hired for private functions. Tel: 020 7766 1158. • For more information about St Martin’s, please visit our website: www.smitf.org
Christian Ihle Hadland & Silvia Moi Solveig Slettahjell, Tord Gustavsen & Sjur Miljeteig Programme Christian Ihle Hadland & Silvia Moi A.B. Grøndal En Skjære, På Gjære (Magpies) Efter En Sommerfugl, ‘Sommerfuglen Min (Chasing A Butterfly, ‘Butterfly Mine’) Handel Suite No. 2 in F major HWV 427 Tchaikovsky November & December (from The Seasons Op. 37a) Grieg Solveig’s Song and Blåbær Lid (from Peer Gynt Op. 23) Adam O Holy Night Interval Solveig Slettahjell, Tord Gustavsen & Sjur Miljeteig A programme of jazz, blues, folk and gospel songs Oh, Come All Ye Faithful (communal carol)
Christian Ihle Hadland Christian Ihle Hadland is widely recognised as one of Norway’s most exciting young piano talents and following his recital debut at the Norwegian Opera in 2008 was hailed in the Norwegian press as an artist who “shows himself as a unique musician whose artistry should be heard on the world’s concert stages”. Christian Ihle Hadland was born in Stavanger in 1983 and received his first piano lessons at the age of eight. At eleven he was enrolled at the Rogaland Music Conservatory, and in 1999 began lessons with Professor Jiri Hlinka, both privately and at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo.
Christian made his Norwegian debut with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra at the age of 15, and has since gone on to perform with all of Norway’s leading orchestras, including several appearances with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. He has appeared with the Swedish Radio Orchestra, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Danish Radio Orchestra, NDR Hannover, BBC Symphony Orchestra BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales among others. Christian is already a highly sought-after recital and chamber musician and has appeared several times in prestigious venues and festivals such as Wigmore Hall, Risør Chamber Music Festival, the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival and Kissinger Sommer. Christian won Statoil’s ‘Heroes of Tomorrow’ classical music award in 2009.
Silvia Moi studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music, the University College of Opera in Stockholm and the Royal College of Music in London. During her studies she debuted at the Folkoperan in Stockholm in the role of Oscar in Verdi’s A Masked Ball and the same year she played Despina in Cosi fan tutte in Germany and Denmark with Manfred Honeck. Silvia made her debut at the Norwegian National Opera in the role of Servilia in La clemenza di Tito in 2006 since when she has regularly returned to perform with the company. In 2007 she sang the role of Susanna from The Marriage of Figaro with the London-based Classical Opera Company.
Silvia Moi
Her high profile engagements have seen her perform in many of the most eminent northern European opera houses and with several of the major symphony orchestras including Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, Royal Opera House in Stockholm, Malmö Symphony Orchestra and all the major Norwegian symphony orchestras. She appeared as Papagena in Kenneth Branagh’s film production of The Magic Flute. Silvia won Statoil’s ‘Heroes of Tomorrow’ classical music award in 2007. Statoil is pleased to give our support to talented young people in sport, culture and education, helping them to become the heroes of tomorrow.
Solveig Slettahjell Solveig Slettahjell was born in Bærum near Oslo and grew up in the small town of Orkanger near Trondheim. As her father was a pastor, she grew up in church and sang in their choirs from the age of 7, accompanying various youth and gospel choirs on the piano from the age of 13. As a teenager, she sang and played her own versions of hymns, negro spirituals, Norwegian religious folksongs, as well as her own compositions. Solveig studied classical piano and singing at a secondary school for music in Trondheim, before going on to jazz studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 1992 where she met Sidsel Endresen, one of Norway’s most well-known vocal improvisers.
Solveig’s most important project for the past ten years has been her Slow Motion Orchestra which appeared at the Christmas Concert in 2007. Vocal ensembles have played a big part in Solveig Slettahjell’s musical work, and she worked in the trio vonDrei, with experimental vocal group Kvitretten and the larger ensemble Trondheim Voices.
Born in Oslo, Tord grew up in a village in Akershus where he began playing the piano from the age of 5. His early musical life saw him playing in churches and a whole variety of settings which encouraged him to combine his classical technique with gospel, hymns and songwriting. After studying at Oslo University, Tord attended the hugely influential conservatoire in Trondheim where so many of Norway’s most innovative musicians studied. Returning to Oslo as a freelance musician he released his debut as a band leader in 2003 with his trio album Changing Places on ECM. The trio took Europe by storm and with rave reviews of the CD, toured extensively throughout the continent. The trio followed up the first release with another two albums over the next four years, all gaining unanimous critical praise.
Since 2011, Tord has continued to tour and record with his more flexible band line up of trio, quartet and quintet, as well as to perform various special projects such as this trio with Solveig and Sjur. Tord will release a new album called Extended Circle with his quartet in 2014, and he is in for a major UK tour March 2012. More info: www.tordgustavsen.com
Tord Gustavsen
Sjur Miljeteig Sjur has been working as a professional jazz trumpeter in Norway since high school. He has toured most of the world with artists in all genres, but his main project the last ten years has been Solveig Slettahjell Slow Motion Orchestra, for which he also is one of the writers. In October 2013 he released his first album as a solo artist, “It’s funny how things happen at particular times”. Besides his career as a musician, Sjur runs a recording studio in the woods of Sweden, IS IT ART, where he works as a producer for other artists and composes music for theatre, film and TV.
O Come All Ye Faithful
Å Kom Nå Med Lovsang
O come, all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant! O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold him Born the King of Angels: O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Å, kom nå med lovsang, jordens kristenskare! Å, kom nå med lovsang til Betlehem! Kom for å se ham, kongen i en krybbe! Kom, tilbe ham, Guds under! Kom, tilbe ham, Guds under! Kom, tilbe ham, Guds under: Vår Herre Krist!
Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above! Glory to God In the highest O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Syng, englehærer, syng med salig jubel! Å syng, myriader, i himlens slott: Ære til Gud og fred blant oss på jorden! Kom, tilbe ham, Guds under! Kom, tilbe ham, Guds under! Kom, tilbe ham, Guds under: Vår Herre Krist!
The Connection at St Martin’s The Connection at St Martin’s helps homeless people by providing specialist services - including a day and night centre, outreach for rough sleepers, skills training and career advice, activity programmes and specialist support for complex needs – to 200 people in central London every day. We offer advice, care and support in a welcoming and friendly environment. By encouraging each person to address the issues which caused their homelessness, we help them to gain the skills and confidence to make lasting changes in their lives. During the Christmas period and especially on Christmas Day, The Connection at St Martin’s welcomes homeless people in from the streets for food, warmth and support. If you would like to help support them this Christmas, here are some ways in which you can get involved:
Received with Thanks Hear how the money from last year’s Appeal helped people in need Sunday 1 December - 9.45am & 5.40pm & Friday 6 December – 3.45pm
BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal The Christmas Appeal raises money for the work of The Connection at St Martin’s and the Vicar’s Relief Fund, which makes small crisis grants to people in need across the UK, many who are at risk of homelessness or have experience of being homeless. You, too, can help to make a difference to the lives of thousands of homeless and vulnerable people by listening to this year’s broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at the following times:
Christmas Cards You can help support the work of The Connection at St Martin’s by purchasing Christmas cards. There are a wide range of affordable cards for sale which can be bought at St Martin-in-the-Fields. To be sent a brochure of all the available designs, please contact The Connection directly on 020 7766 5555 or email appeals@cstm.org.uk.
BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal - Main Appeal Sunday 1 December – 7.55am & 9.27pm & Thursday 5 December – 3.25pm
Or you can catch the broadcasts on the BBC iPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ christmasappeal. You can support the Christmas Appeal at www.smitf.org/christmas. Carol Singing You can help raise money for The Connection by joining in singing carols at Oxford Circus underground station on 16 December (6:00 – 8:00 pm) and Stratford station on 18 December (dates and times to be confirmed). Please call 020 7766 5555 for further details.
The 67th Norwegian Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square The Christmas tree is the city of Oslo’s annual gift to the city of Westminster. Today’s concert in St-Martin-in-theFields is part of the celebration of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. The Norwegian Christmas Tree is given in gratitude for British help and friendship during the Second World War. The first tree was presented in 1947. On December 5th 2013 the 67th tree was lit by Mr Stian Berger Røsland, Governing Mayor of Oslo.
The Norwegian Christmas tree has come to symbolise the warm and close relationship between the people of Norway and the people of Britain. We enjoy close historical, political and economic links. The cultural affinity between the two nations has developed over the centuries and continues to grow. Norwegians are pleased and honoured that this token of their friendship has become so much a part of Christmas for Londoners, and the lighting-up ceremony has come to signify the beginning of the Christmas season in the heart of the British capital.