Edward Gardner and Edvard Grieg Choir performs at the Proms

Who: Edward Grieg Choir

What: BBC Proms 2023

BBC Proms 2023

The BBC Proms is the world's largest international music festival. In August 2023, Edvard Grieg Kor performied two works by the Hungarian composer György Ligeti ; Requiem and LUX AETERNA conducted by their Chief Conducter Edward Gardner. The performance received excellent reviews. Grieg Foundation made the concert possible.

Ligeti's very demanding Requiem was performed by Edvard Grieg Kor together with the Royal Northern College of Music's chamber choir, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.

The Lux Aeterna with the choir's chief conductor Edward Gardner. The latter work was performed by the choir alone from the upper gallery of the Royal Albert Hall with an audience of 6,000. It had a magical effect. The concert was an important milestone for Bergen and Western Norway's only professional choir. It was therefore fantastic that Mayor of Bergen, Linn Kristin Langley Engø and County Mayor Jon Askeland were in attendance together with the management and Board the Grieg Foundation. All us at EGK were extremely grateful to the Norwegian embassy in London who were in attendance to mark the national significance of this important milestone for EGK and our supporters.

- ' Edvard Grieg Kor is central to music-making in Bergen, and ever since I started working in this city I have been impressed by the quality, versatility and commitment of the group. It is a great privilege to have a central role with these wonderful singers," says Gardner

Edward Gardner became principal conductor of the Edvard Grieg Kor for three seasons in 2021, and since then the Bergen-based choir has worked closely with him as an a cappella ensemble.

“That EGK gets to sing conducted by the wonderful Edward Gardner in this amazing hall is also at tribute to the classical music field in Bergen itself, it really is. and it also cements Edvard Grieg Kors position as a leading vocal international ensemble. Tonight, I am looking forward to a powerful musical experience, but also to experience what we know are extraordinary talent and dedication of the Edvard Grieg Kor. (…) Thank you so much for inspiring us, filling our hearts, and being such a shining example of musical talent and joy!” Linn Kristin Langley Engø, The Mayor of Bergen.

“There is no world stage for classical music bigger than the BBC Proms. And that is great that we can see Norwegian music so well represented again at the Proms this year. Being born and raised in Bergen I must admit that my heart will beat a little faster when the choir enter with London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Northern Collage of Music’s chamber choir. On behalf of the Norwegian embassy, I would like to thank all of you for your interest in this project and you varies contributions” Lars-Erik Hauge, Head of Culture, Communication and Business Relations

“It was truly amazing to see our 20 singers in the Edvard Grieg Kor perform a cappella in one of the world's most iconic concert halls, and it is a milestone for the Edvard Grieg Kor, and a great tribute to the classical music field in Bergen and Norway (…) but crucially it serves to inform and improve the quality of the performances at the professional level. Our collaborative partners are then able to demand more and more from us every season in terms of activity and quality. We will therefore continually strive for the next level of excellence and achievement professionally. There is no more effective way for us to achieve excellence than to work alongside the best and most accomplished artists in the world, and to grasp every opportunity to do that whenever possible” Simon Krikbride, General and Artistic Director

"Singing Ligeti at the Proms with Edward Gardner was a truly powerful experience. I have never before sung anything that required such intense focus from all performers as the Requiem, and Ed led us through with amazing energy and unwavering certainty. An exhilarating culmination of many months of hard work. It was also my first time on stage in that grand hall, and I was struck by how intimate the space felt despite its size. Even when singing Lux aeterna from “on high” in the upper stalls with Ed conducting us from the stage below, it felt as though we bridged the distance with musical intention and pure sound, connecting with everyone there that night. It was magical” singer in Edvard Grieg Kor.

REVIEWS

"(...) and, from Norway, the Edvard Grieg Kor. The Norwegians, in particular, gave a stunning performance of Ligeti’s Lux aeterna from high in the Albert Hall’s gallery. Its swirl of vocal clusters suggested a very misty, murky vision of the afterlife until a high, brilliantly sustained soprano note pierced the gloom like a ray of sunlight."

- THE TIMES (4/5 STARS)

"For sheer strangeness it [Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra] was outdone by György Ligeti's short choral piece Lux Aeterna, sung by the Edvard Grieg Kor (...). It seemed as if an icily pure yet somehow tender Music of the Spheres had descended into the darkened hall, and for me it was the Proms' best moment yet."

- THE TELEGRAPH (5/5 STARS)

"Gardner’s interpretation [of Ligeti's Requiem] was a thing of extremes. The quiet, penumbral opening Introit seemed to hover on the verges of sound and silence. Later, the roaring brass of the Dies Irae pinned you to your seat. The combined forces of the London Philharmonic Choir, RNCM Chamber Choir, and Norway’s Edvard Grieg Kor (Gardner is also their chief conductor) sang with furious intensity."

- THE GUARDIAN (4/5 STARS)

"It was refreshing to hear the sixteen-piece Edvard Grieg Kor from 'on high' in the gallery (..) the effect was to make you listen and experience the voices which drifted into the auditorium as if they were on the way from heaven (...) showcasing the brilliance of both the piece and the visiting choir from Norway."

- BROADWAY WORLD (5/5 STARS)

In the autumn of 2020 when we had our first serious conversation with Edward Gardner about the possibility of hem becoming our Chief Conductor our ultimate shared vision was to raise the national and international profile EGK and draw wider attention to the quality and virtuosity of our talented singers. Edward Gardner had worked with us on large symphonic projects with our long term collaboratative partners, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic choir for some years, but it wasn’t until the long period of restrictions caused by the pandemic that Ed began to work with us on smaller chamber performances which were still allowed during that period. He was determined that once the world returned to some sort of normality again, we should do much more of this work and bring a whole library of repertoire to our regional audience.

Within 18 months of our collaboration with Ed and the Grieg Foundation we found ourselves on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, London in the BBC Proms!

As a result of that one critically acclaimed performance EGK is now receiving offers of further important collaborations with international orchestras and concert halls.

Edvard Grieg Kor, together with Edvard Grieg Vokalensemble are the two professional choirs in the Edvard Grieg Choral foundation ( Stiftelsen Edvard Grieg Korene) The organisation also runs 7 children’s choirs from age 6-26 with over 200 children rehearsing and performing a full programme of activity every week. The achievements and success of Edvard Grieg Kor these last two years give incalculable inspiration and confidence to the young singers in our programme and show them that by adopting a professional and dedicated attitude to what they are doing and being able to work alongside such accomplished musicians they too can one day find themselves on the world’s largest stages.

Edvard Grieg Kor and the Royal Northern College of Music

Edvard Grieg Korene’s ‘Young Voices’ ( Ungestemmer ) programme was set up in 2010. The primary focus of the programme is to advise, mentor and monitor the progress of exceptionally talented young Norwegian singers who have chosen to study singing at some Europe’s most prestigious music Conservatoires. Over the years, many of these young singers have studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, and the staff at the RNCM have since the very beginning expressed a wish to develop a broader, formal and on-going collaboration with Edvard Grieg Korene.

In 2014 EGK and the RNCM joined forces to provide professional performing experience for young students from the RNCM, including of course the Norwegian students. Almost every year since then students from the RNCM have regularly been involved in performances with EGK and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2018, Edvard Grieg Vokalensemble became ‘ensemble in residence’ at the RNCM working specifically on the art of A Cappella performance repertoire with the RNCM chamber choir.

This important work and valuable experience for the students had led directly to ex- RNCM students becoming regular guest artists with EGK as young professionals at the beginning of their careers.

For the BBC Proms project we took this collaboration to a much higher level, and the entire RNCM Chamber choir together with student conductors worked alongside EGK and our Chief Conductor, Edward Gardner on the Ligeti Requiem. This was an extraordinary experience for all of them, and an opportunity to perform with a world-class orchestra, conductor and choir at the very highest level of Classical Music making, and certainly a moment in their careers which they will never forget!

“The performance was absolutely astounding and I'm not alone in saying how remarkable it was to be in the (sold-out!) audience watching the madness/genius of Ligeti unfold. All of us at the RNCM can take a lot away from the amazing partnership we have with EGK - working with the group for this project has been inspiring for me so I can only imagine how the students feel having been singing alongside them.” Edgar Divver, Orchestras and Ensembles Assistant Manager, Royal Northern College of Music

The 4th concert in our series with Chief Conductor Edward Gardner took place in Bergen Cathedral on the 24th November ( Our 3rd concert in this wonderful building) and these EGK performances have quickly become a tradition of this series. Rachmaninoff’s Vespers are rarely performed, and the virtuosic writing of this stunning music was a feast for the ears of our growing audience. More than 450 people were packed into the cathedral to see Edvard Grieg Kor in collaboration with our colleagues from Voces Timisienses, Timisoara, Romania perform at their highest level. The performance was part of a festival of Rachmaninoff’s music curated by our long-time collaborative partner, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

Edvard Grieg Kor are looking very much forward to returning to the Cathedral at the same time next year for what will be our final concert in this series with Gardner as our Chief Conductor. But before then we have our debut in Oslo to look forward to!

It is going to be an exciting year!!!