About

Welcome to the Hemsing Festival – five days of great music taking place in Aurdal, Valdres. This year's theme is «freedom and change» and we celebrate the greatest freedom fighter within music − Ludwig van ­Beethoven. There will be 19 classical concerts performed by no less than 50 artists such as the internationally renowned ­Quatuor Arod, Lilli Maijala og Julien Quentin as well as the Norwegian artists Eldbjørg Hemsing, Ragnhild Hemsing, ­TrondheimSolistene and Arve Tellefsen. 

19 Feb 2020 19.00 Festival Opening Concert in Aurdal Church
National and romantic sounds from Spain to St. Petersburg, and a classic quartet from Haydn

​20 Feb 2020 13:00 Rakfisk Forte Fortissimo 1, "Music with a taste of the past"
Here we will enjoy well-preserved food courtesy of Noraker farms and some well-made music to accompany it; Tchaikovsky’s “Memory of a dear place” and Mahler’s romantic piano quartet, served with a side of Debussy.

20 Feb 2020 15.00  “Master meeting,” open masterclass with Ragnhild Hemsing in Frikar-Smia
Three young talents will be selected as part of a competition in cooperation with the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo. The talents will be invited to the fesitval to take part in a masterclass with violinist and artistic leader Ragnhild Hemsing, and to perform in selected concerts during the festival. The masterclass is free and open to the public.

20 Feb 2020 16.30 “Freedom - it is the fight for freedom,” Lecture with Erling Dahl Jr. at Frydenlund skysstasjon in Aurdal
Learn about Edvard Grieg's involvement in social discourse at home and abroad, as he tackled issues such as politics, religion and language. Serving of “majerd” (local meat stew) and beverages included in the ticket price

20 Feb 2020 17:30 Guided ski trip (with headlights) before concert in Aurdal mountain church

20 Feb 2020 17:00 Dogsledding at Aurdalsåsen (before concert in Aurdal mountain church)
In cooperation with Valdres Villmarkssenter

​20 Feb 2020 19:00 "With Bela Bartok in the mountain home," intimate concert at the Aurdal mountain church
There will be both Bartok and Baroque music in the mountain church. Bartok follows in Beethoven’s legacy, and composed a series of six string quartets. The fourth of these quartets offered brand new sounds for that time, and still challenges us today. The Baroque music will be performed by a viola solo, followed by Johan Halvorsen's playful Passacaglia over a theme by G. F. Handel.

21 Feb 2020 11:00 Dogsledding at Aurdalsåsen (before concert in Aurdal mountain church)
In cooperation with Valdres Villmarkssenter

​21 Feb 2020 10:30 Guided ski tour from Nythun to "The Music Trail 1" in Aurdal mountain church

21 Feb 2020 13:00 The Music Trail 1, “Soviet idealism and Beethoven freedom”
This concert is a unique opportunity for the audience to experience classical music combined with outdoor activities in beautiful surroundings, overlooking the snowy Valdres mountains. Here the audience also has the opportunity to ski to the concert and test the beautiful ski tracks in the area. There will be organised transport to return to Nythun, contact them directly for booking.

A series of duets for violin and cello by Soviet composer Reinhold Glière (1939) is followed by one of the highlights of the quartet form. Beethoven's Quartet No. 1 in F major op. 59 (the Razumovsky Quartets) paved a new path, and broke with many adopted conventions.

21 Feb 2020 13:00 Rakfisk Forte Fortissimo 2 "Fresh and Fermented"
The concert begins at 13:00 with artists from the festival, and a buffet will be served at 14:00 featuring specialty local food. Nils Noraker will tell about the history of the farm and about the production of "rakfisk." 

A friendly gathering of composers who all respond to Robert Schumann's description of universal art. Based on local material that is given specific treatment by a truly artistic soul, the result can go from being local to becoming universal.

21 Feb 2020 14:30 Musical Lunch at Nythun

21 Feb 2020 16:30 Musical Appertif at Frydenlund Skysstasjon
Marit Karlberg and Frank Henrik Rolland have reached into their treasure chest of folk music and found songs, ballads, shows, and hymns that they want to introduce to you. Their music has wandered through space and time, while remaining rooted in the folk traditions of Hardanger and Valdres. Enjoy the sounds of the Hardanger fiddle, langeleik, and harmonium, in both solo pieces and arrangements.

21 Feb 2020 18:00 Classical chamber concert in Aurdal church 
We go to the very heart of classic chamber music - and stay there all evening. From the 16-year-old Mozart via the middle-aged (but always young) Beethoven to Johannes Brahms most recent chamber music from 1890.

21 Feb 2020 22:30 Late Night Concert “Testosteron,” with TRAKTOR in The Barn at Nythun
What happens to a man when the belly grows larger, the testosterone is in free-fall, and self-respect takes a vacation? At the intersection of theater, stand-up and opera, the music ensemble Traktor places the male role under the kinfe. Layer by layer they peel away, exposing his relationship with women, his bottomless grief, his desperate weaknesses, and his beautiful dreams.

With Frank Havrøy and TRAKTOR (Johannes Skyberg, Nora Hannisdal, Gunnar Flagstad, John Ivar Knutzen, Kristin Fyrand Mikkelsen and Elisabeth Maria López Wulfsberg)

​22 Feb 2020 08.30 "Morning Moods," breakfast concert at Nythun
This will be a morning which starts with a fresh taste in your mouth! Rachmaninov’s “Andante” and Grieg’s “Andante con moto” sereve as bookends to a real master work, Rotnheims-Knut, in the tradition of Olav Moe and in Grieg's version after Knut Johannesson Dale

22 Feb 2020 11.00 Dogsledding at Aurdalsåsen (before concert in Aurdal mountain church)
In cooperation with Valdres Villmarkssenter

​22 Feb 2020 10:30 Guided ski tour from Nythun to "The Music Trail 2" in Aurdal mountain church

22 Feb 2020 13:00 The Music Trail 2 “Orchestra in the Mountains”, Aurdal mountain church at Aurdalsåsen
This concert is a unique opportunity for the audience to experience classical music combined with outdoor activities in beautiful surroundings, overlooking the snowy Valdres mountains. Here the audience also has the opportunity to ski to the concert and test the beautiful ski slopes in the area. There will be organised transport to return to Nythun, contact them directly for booking.

The Trondheim soloists have visited stages and festivals all over the world, so it is only fitting that they be seen and heard here at the Hemsing Festival as well. In addition to their own piece, they will be accompanied by violin and vocals.

22 Feb 2020 13.00 “Beethoven on Skis”, family day by Frikar-Smia
Outdoor activities for the whole family on the grounds directly below Frikar-Smia, followed by a concert indoors directly afterwards 
Presented in cooperaation with Aurdal IF

22 Feb 2020 15:00 “The Story of Beethoven,” family concert in Frikar-Smia in Aurdal
Welcome to the story - or is it a fairytale? - of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most famous and prolific geniuses in history. We follow Beethoven from his birth, with his hands already on the piano keys, to the age of eight when he went on tour with his father who had great ambitions for him, until he became a full-grown and world-famous composer, creating some of the finest classical music ever composed.

The story of Beethoven is told and performed by Liv Bernhoft Osa, Arve Tellefsen, Valdresstrykerne and musicians from the festival

​22 Feb 2020 15:30 Concert lecture: "Beethovens 32 piano sonatas in 64 minutes"
Performed and presented by Tor Espen Aspaas at the Valdres Folkemuseum in Fagernes

22 Feb 2020 16:00 “Homecoming”
Concert and presentation of her new album by Eldbjørg Hemsing at Frydenlund skysstasjon

22 Feb 2020 18:00 “Keys Ringing and Strings Attached”
Sometimes musicians enjoy making "cover songs" based on other people's works. This is an evening with pianist Hyung-Ki-Joo where he "covers" Debussy and Grieg. In addition, he is a soloist in Dmitri Sjostakovitsj's piano concert no. 1, together with a trumpet solo performed by Brynjar Kolbergsrud.

22 Feb 2020 20:30 Intimate Concert with Arve Tellefsen and Concert Quiz in Frikar-Smia
Experience a proper legend and a bright star in the classical music world: Welcome to an intimate concert with Arve Tellefsen! He will be accompanied by Tor Espen Aspaas on the piano. Right after the concert and a short break to get some more food and drink, the Saturday night will finish with an informal quiz.

The Concert Quiz is a golden opportunity for you to get to know the musicians from another side. Bente Hemsing and Erling Dahl jr. host the quiz, and the festival artists performs. There will be a variety of questions that the audience can answer individually or in groups.

​23 Feb 2020 12:00 Closing Concert in Aurdal Church
Today we meet both the visiting festival artists and Valdres’ own powerful sounds throughout the portal of chamber music - from songs accompanied by piano to full works with choir and orchestra. A rousing moment, and a warm invitation to next year's festival. Pieces by Strauss, Beethoven og Händel.