City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong presents NORDIC SEASONS

Entitled "Nordic Seasons", the concert will feature well-loved works by Antonio Vivaldi and Edvard Grieg performed with unexpectedly fresh colours on both the violin and the hardanger fiddle, the national instrument of Norway.

Ragnhild Hemsing is an exceptionally original artist steeped in the performance of both classical music and Norwegian folk music. Her ability to move effortlessly between the two musical traditions has shaped her unique musical profile. Moreover, she is at the forefront in introducing the hardanger fiddle to new audiences beyond her homeland. The hardanger fiddle originates from the Hardanger region in western Norway in the mid-17th century. It has nine strings in total: four upper strings that are played and five understrings that are not played directly. The understrings vibrate in tandem with the upper strings to produce the fiddle's beautifully resonant sound. The decorations on the wood are made from mother of pearl giving the instrument its distinctive look.

Ragnhild Hemsing will draw on her folk roots and the evocative sound world of the hardanger fiddle to offer new interpretations of well-loved Norwegian and Baroque works. The programme includes Vivaldi/Hemsing's The Norwegian Seasons and arrangements of Grieg's incidental music to Peer Gynt by Tormod Tvete Vik including Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Anitra's Dance, Solveig's Song and Arabian Dance. Vivaldi's Four Seasons with its rhythmic swing, rich ornamentation and references to birdsong and icy winter chills also resonates in Ragnhild Hemsing'sNordic world.

Tickets priced at $450, $300 and $200 are available from all URBTIX outlets, with half-price concessions for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 and above, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients and people with disabilities and their accompanying minders. For ticketing enquiries, call 3166 1100; for credit card telephone booking, call 3166 1288; for internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk; for programme or media enquiries, call 2864 2156 or email info@ccohk.com. The programme is suitable for ages six and above. Further information: www.ccohk.com

Ragnhild Hemsing violin/hardanger fiddle/guest conductor

Norwegian violinist and Hardanger fiddle player Ragnhild Hemsing is deeply rooted in the musical traditions of her homeland. She has played a pivotal role in raising the profile of the Hardanger fiddle far beyond Norway's borders. This season she will give the world premieres of three new concertos for Hardanger fiddle by Kim André Arnesen, Gordon Hamilton, and Ola Kvernberg. She has appeared as soloist with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the Trondheim Soloists, the Residentie Orkest, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the Tonhalle Zurich, the Musée d'Orsay and the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall in St. Petersburg. Her festival appearances include the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Risør Chamber Music Festival and the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Ragnhild Hemsing's CDs are released on the Berlin Classics label. Her recordings of Grieg's Peer Gynt achieved great success on digital platforms and in concerts. Vetra ("Winter") was released in 2023 and features traditional music alongside her own compositions. In 2024 she released The Norwegian Seasons, Vivaldi's Four Seasons arranged for Hardanger fiddle. Her most recent album, Unbound, was recorded with her folk-jazz ensemble Vetra and showcases her stylistic versatility.

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