Doors open at 18.30
Concert begins at 19.00

Access for wheelchair users - Companions free of charge with proof, please notify the organiser.

Programme:
Part 1: Songs and Dances of Death: by Modest Mussorgsky, 1875
A cycle of four songs arranged for piano and soprano voices. Lullabye, Serenade, Trepak and Field Marshall.

Part 2 : Consists of song and dance to music by Edvard Grieg, thematising life, youth and love.

Songs of Death and Dances:
Modest Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as ‘The Five’. He was an innovator of Russian music during the Romantic period. He strived to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music. Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore and other national themes Mussorgsky was in many ways an outsider in his time, ostracised by critics, other composers and his own colleagues. He did not conform to the norms of the day in music, and was often despised or ridiculed.

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was a Norwegian national romantic composer. He is the Norwegian composer who has had the greatest international impact, and like other artists from the latter part of the 19th century, he had a major impact on cultural nation-building in the period leading up to the dissolution of the union in 1905. Grieg consciously began to draw on features of Norwegian vocal and instrumental folk music and allowed them to permeate a highly romantic tonal language. Known for songs such as. En svane, Jeg elsker dig, Lys Nat, Møte, Solveigs vuggevise, Vond dagmfl.

Knut Erik Jensen (he/him), is a recognised solo pianist in his own right, and has been instrumental in developing the entire concept of the Opera Café at Rosendal from day one. This has been a place where audiences are challenged, little-known music is played, and marginalised free thinkers are brought to the fore. Knut Erik has a great interest in Russian music, and has long wanted to perform this piece, written by Modest Mussorgsky. I 1875. It's a great cycle that is rarely done, and there is a separate version made for piano and soprano voices.

He is a permanent employee at the Music Institute, NTNU as a piano teacher and Assistant Professor. He is one of the most sought-after accompanists, coaches and pianists in Trøndelag, and often plays with Opera Trøndelag, TSO and Opera among many others, (born 6 March 1981 in Hell) is a Norwegian pianist who has interpreted Aleksandr Scriabin and Edvard Grieg in particular. Jensen grew up in Selbu, Norway, and as of 2011 lives in Palm Springs, California, USA.

He studied classical piano at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim (under Mona Spigseth and Jørgen Larsen, among others). Here he also completed his master's degree in Russian music, where he performed Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F sharp minor with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra as his final exam concert. During his studies, Jensen toured with violinist Bjarne Fiskum and cellist Anne Lise Fagerli in a performance of Russian chamber music. He has also toured with the klezmer orchestra Kilombo, been a studio musician and arranged music for accordion ensembles.On Christmas Eve 2005 he performed ‘Geistliches Wiegenlied’ by Brahms with mezzo-soprano Randi Stene in a NRK1 broadcast from Nidaros Cathedral.[1] In 2007 he toured the USA and Canada with a solo performance about Edvard Grieg's life and music. Two years later, Jensen performed the show Nordic Elegance 35 times in the US. He has also played Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor with several orchestras, and performed with Janne Berglund, among others,[2] resulting in several disc releases.

Eirik Krokfjord (he/him) is a dramatic baritone from Lørenskog. He was educated at the Norwegian Academy of Music, but has since studied with Yngve Søberg and Luis Ledesma, and since 2023, he has worked with Brian Jauhiainen.

As a concert soloist, he has performed with the Oslo Philharmonic, Accademia Bizantina, Capella Vitalis Berlin, Orquesta Sinfónica de Michoacán, the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Norwegian Soloists' Choir, and many times with Barokkanerne, under conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Alessandro Tampieri, Jorge Parodi, Alexander Humala, Grete Pedersen, Rolf Gupta, and Ari Rasilainen.

His diverse experience as a stage artist also includes performances in Strindberg's A Dream Play at the National Theatre, in Rom for Dans' dance theater production Underlandet, and concerts at the early music festival Semana de Música Antiga in Brazil.

His repertoire ranges from Wagner to Renaissance monody, but also includes contemporary music—such as Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King, Dominick Argento's The Andrée Expedition, the title role in Ståle Kleiberg’s opera David & Bathsheba, as well as several world premieres of Martin Ødegaard’s music with Ensemble Aksiom and conductor Kai Grinde Myrann.

On the opera stage, Krokfjord has played, among others, Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca, Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake’s Progress, the title role in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, and Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Krokfjord's Scarpia was described as "an unforgettable portrayal of an authoritarian fascist" in Sydsvenskan and "completely brilliant… so damn good!" by Radio RFSL. He has also been described as "memorable" by Bachtrack.com, and "a delight to listen to" in Dagbladet.

Thea Brix (she/her) is a soprano from Trondheim. She received her master's degree from the Oslo National Opera School in the spring of 2023, and previously held a bachelor's degree from the Music Conservatory in Trondheim.At the Academy she has performed roles such as Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Arminda in La finta giardiniera and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser.She thrives best in the larger soprano range, and will present both arias and lieder by Wagner and Strauss, among others.This will be her second guest performance for Operakafé at Rosendal, she made her debut in In the Time of Autumn, November 2023 touring with klezmer.Andrea Winsnes, she/her Dancer, choreographer and producerAndrea Winsnes is a dance artist with a special interest in improvisation, partnering and alternative performance spaces. She has a BA in contemporary dance, and since 2018 she has participated in her own and others' projects. Among other things, she has danced for Elle Sofe Company and Kari Hoaas Productions. Today she is based in Trondheim and works permanently with Danselaboratoriet, Danseteateret and Praxis Trondheim in addition to other artistic projects and assignments.

Anne Marit Ligaard (she/her), tango dancer, instructor and member of Danselaboratoriet since 2010. For Anne Marit, dance is a liberation project where all movements and emotions can take place. She runs the tango school Tangotango with her dance partner in Oslo, where they have taught thousands of students. As a tango instructor, she emphasises the connection between interaction and personal expression. She dances in Danselaboratoriet because it's fun and feels deeply meaningful.

This project lends itself to interpreting both songs and dances. That's why we invited choreographer and dancer Andrea Winsnes, who is permanently affiliated with Danseteater and Danselaboratoriet, to collaborate.Randi Iversen, an experienced senior dancer from Danseteater, contributes with her lovely presence.This is the first time Operavennforening has collaborated with the dance community at DansiT on a project.Danselaboratoriet and Danseteater is an arena for experimenting with, exploring and developing contemporary dance.