— Musical water mirrors.
Few classical ensembles master such a finely tuned balance between genuine quality, brilliance and charm as the Oslo String Quartet . This Sunday they open The Havlystparken Concerts 2025 with a programme dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel , where we will hear the quartet's brand new arrangement of the iconic Boléro — and much more.
Directly from London, we have also invited the Romanian pianist Cristian Sandrin , who is described by the international press as “(…) an incredibly talented pianist” with “(…) immaculate technique, crystalline clarity, and thoughtful musical input”. He serves us Ravel’s impressionistic Miroirs in conjunction with a selection of pieces by both Mozart and the British Cyril Scott . Experience how the music plays in harmony with Havlystparken’s many water mirrors… welcome!
Geir Inge Lotsberg violin
Liv Hilde Klokk-Bryhn violin
Magnus Boye Hansen viola
Øystein Sonstad cello
Cristian Sandrin piano
Duration approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes including intermission.
Clip from the NRK stage. Click here to watch the full video.
Pianist Cristian Sandrin plays from Ravel's Miroirs .
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Maurice Ravel (1875—1937)
Miroirs (1905) for solo pianoWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756—1791)
Sonata in F major, K. 280Cyril Scott (1879—1970)
Excerpt from Poems (1912)Maurice Ravel
String Quartet in F major (1903)
Boléro (1928), arr. Oslo String Quartet -
The Oslo String Quartet was formed in 1991 and currently consists of violinists Geir Inge Lotsberg and Liv Hilde Klokk-Bryhn , violist Magnus Boye Hansen and cellist Øystein Sonstad .
The ensemble made an early international name for itself, including as a finalist in the London International String Competition in 1994. After their first recording of Edvard Grieg's string quartets in 1993, the quartet has released regularly, and in 1999 their recording of all of Carl Nielsen's string quartets on Naxos was selected as Editor's Choice in Gramophone. The albums The Schubert Connection (winner of the Spellemannsprisen 2013) and Minor Major were received with enthusiasm. The quartet's latest release LEARN TO WAIT has garnered great reviews internationally and nationally and was nominated for a Spellemann.
Outreach and experimentation with new and different audience groups has always been an important part of the Oslo String Quartet's activities. School concerts and mini-festivals with specially arranged programme has given the ensemble useful experience in terms of contact and communication with the audience. With Øystein Sonstad as permanent arranger of alternative repertoire, the group has developed a broad crossover repertoire, performing large parts of Puccini's Tosca with singers, the complete Peer Gynt music by Grieg, Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev, to name a few projects.
As part of this desire to communicate, the quartet has organized a number of mini-festivals in Oslo; larger Beethoven celebrations, G-kraft around Grieg, The Schubert Mystery, several with broader themes, and anniversary celebrations for the group at round numbers.
The Oslo String Quartet is co-founder and artistic co-responsible for the Oslo Quartet Series together with Vertavo and Engegård Quartet. Since 2012, this has given the ensemble an annual concert in a fantastic setting and the opportunity to strengthen interest in string quartets in Oslo and the rest of the country.
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Born into a family of musicians from Bucharest, Cristian Sandrin has been surrounded by classical music all his life. His frequent visits to the historic Romanian Atheneum concert hall and his attendances at the prestigious Enescu Festival shaped his musical aspirations from early childhood. Years later, he would have his own debut at the Atheneum at the age of 13.
Cristian is especially devoted to the Classical and Romantic repertoire. His passion for Mozart's piano concertos has led him to direct orchestras from the keyboard on several occasions. He is a scholarship holder of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust benefiting from her unique one-to-one guidance and mentorship since 2017. He graduated in 2019 from the Royal Academy of Music, receiving a DipRAM, MMus whilst being part of the Advanced Diploma programme.
Cristian Sandrin's recent career highlights include performing Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 25 with the George Enescu Philharmonic as well as touring the UK as an artist of the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme. His debut album Correspondances (Antarctica Records 2022) received acclaim from Piano News and American Record Guide, while his performances have been broadcast across major European and Canadian media outlets. Recent achievements include debut recitals at London's St John Smith Square and Milan's Sala Puccini, with an upcoming performance at Beethovenhaus Bonn to launch his new all-Beethoven album.
Cristian became co-Artistic Director of the much admired Kettner Concerts in 2023, a concert series based at the National Liberal Club in Central London, one of Rachmaninoff's favorite venues in the capital.
Welcome to a unique musical experience!
Photo: Andrej Grilc (Oslo String Quartet)