— A summer concert in October.
This afternoon, two works written in the heat of summer meet — and perhaps it is no coincidence that both are in A major? Brahms wrote his Second Violin Sonata at Lake Thun in the Swiss Alps in 1886, where the composer spent three consecutive summer holidays and found an unusual lyrical vein.
The following summer, Dvořák sat at his country house in the Bohemian countryside south of Prague and completed his piano quintet — with folk melodies, dance tunes from his homeland, and a Dumka movement that we believe is among the most beautiful of the 19th century. Both works are characterized by a kind of melancholy-joyful lyricism that only these two composers were able to fully capture.
Two of the country's most sought-after performers, Henning Kraggerud and Christian Ihle Hadland , meet three of the voices of tomorrow: Alma Kraggerud , Vårin Lie Rognes and Sophie Kauer . Read more about the performers and see the full program — which is complemented by works by Ysaÿe and Rachmaninoff — further down the page. Welcome!
This concert is part of the Debut Series and is being held in collaboration with Talent Norway's Podium initiative .
Henning Kraggerud violin
Alma Kraggerud violin
Vårin Lie Rognes viola
Sophie Kauer cello
Christian Ihle Hadland piano
Duration approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes including interval.
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Eugène Ysaÿe (1858—1931)
Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 27 No. 3 'Ballad'Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873—1943)
Cello Sonata, Op. 19: III. AndanteJohannes Brahms (1833—1897)
Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100Antonín Dvořák (1841—1904)
Piano Quintet in A major, op. 81 -
Henning Kraggerud hardly needs any further introduction to a Norwegian audience. He has played with, among others, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the BBC orchestras during The Proms , and as a soloist with leading orchestras on five continents. He is artistic director of the Arctic Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and artistic partner of the Irish Chamber Orchestra from 2025. International press has described his playing as "kaleidoscopic" and highlighted a "grandly laid out variation of volume and temperament" among his many characteristics. He plays a Guarneri del Gesù from 1744, on loan from Dextra Musica/Sparebankstiftelsen DNB.
Christian Ihle Hadland is a performer who British critic David Nice summed up after a BBC Proms engagement: “There is no doubt at all: Another distinct personality among the top pianists has conquered the podium.” Hadland and Kraggerud have collaborated for many years, including through a recent recording of Christian Sinding's music for Naxos.
Alma Kraggerud won the NRK competition Virtuos in 2022 and took third prize in Eurovision Young Musicians the same year. The jury in Virtuos described her with words such as "unique presence" and "a surprising musical power" . She has been a soloist with orchestras such as the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Arctic Philharmonic, Wrocław Symphony Orchestra and Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Alma plays the Stradivari instrument "Ex-Karl Klingler" from 1720, on loan from Anders Sveaas' Almennyttige Fond.
Violist Vårin Lie Rognes is from Stavanger and is currently studying at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Lars Anders Tomter. She is a responsive chamber musician who already regularly substitutes for, among others, the Oslo Philharmonic and several other Norwegian symphony orchestras, and she has been a group leader in the Youth Symphony Orchestra. From January 2025, she will be part of the talent program Konstknekt, an academy where participants receive close guidance from musicians from the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Sophie Kauer is a British-German cellist studying at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Torleif Thedéen and is affiliated with the Royal Academy of Music in London as an Associate (ARAM). She is contracted to Deutsche Grammophon, and is known to a wider international audience through her role as Olga Metkina in Todd Field's Oscar-nominated film TÁR (2022) — a work described by composer John Williams as "an extraordinary actress and an outstanding musician" .
Both Alma Kraggerud and Sophie Kauer are part of Talent Norway's Podium initiative .
We wish you an enjoyable, unique concert experience with us. Welcome!
Photo: Nikolaj Lund (Alma Kraggerud / Sophie Kauer / Christian Ihle Hadland) / Robert Romik (Henning Kraggerud) / Sveinung Hoel Bjorå (Rognes)