KRISTIANSAND SYMFONIORKESTER OPP AV ORKESTERGRAVEN
The Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra Emerges from the Pit
Photo: Lars Gunnar Liestøl
Text: Mikal Vassbotn
We're used to playing what's in front of us on the music stand, but now we're going to walk around the stage while we play
Just outside Kristiansand, horn player Hilde Lunde Garby lives with her husband, violinist Lars Lunde. Both play in the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and are part of the ensemble in this fall’s major production, Amadeus. The family lives on an idyllic small farm in Tveit, far from stage lights, costumes, and formal attire. Green fields surrounding the house are grazed by cows, while the horses and sheep graze just under a kilometer away. There is a stoic calm over the farm, and the typical work attire in these surroundings is overalls and high boots. The contrast between a farmer and a professional musician in formal concert attire could not be greater; yet, situations can arise where these two worlds meet.
– I was on snowplow duty one winter a couple of years ago. I didn’t have time to change after the Thursday concert with the KSO, so I hopped into the tractor parked outside Kilden—equipped with a snowplow blade—wearing a tuxedo with my violin case under my arm. Some might say I was a bit overdressed for the job.
Finally, Amadeus
Throughout the summer, teatersalen will be filled teatersalen actors in lavish costumes, dancers, opera singers, and, not least, several members of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra.
The production was originally scheduled to premiere in the fall of 2021, but was hit by a strike, which meant that *Amadeus* had to wait two years before it could finally see the light of day.
The performance is one of the largest productions Kilden performing arts centre hasperforming arts centre staged and a major undertaking the likes of which Southern Norway has rarely seen.
Both Lars and Hilde are looking forward to being part of such a large-scale production, but are nervous about taking on the directing role.
Right and left
Struck by the scale of the production, Hilde makes a confession.
“I have a little trouble telling right from left—we have to take charge, after all,” she chuckles.
“We’re used to playing whatever’s on the music stand in front of us, but now we’ll be moving around the stage while we play,” Lars adds.
A total of 29 musicians from the KSO will be performing on stage. In a traditional theater production, musicians are usually positioned in the orchestra pit—out of sight, but not out of mind. In *Amadeus*, the musicians are active participants in the stage action; there is even a musician who is pulled across the stage while she plays.
“That’s not the norm at the KSO, you know,” Hilde exclaims. Even though tensions can run high in an orchestra, it hasn’t yet led to a scuffle at the KSO, if we are to believe Lars and Hilde.
“I think this is the first time KSO has taken part in such a large-scale production with so many fun elements. I think the director is good at finding people in the orchestra who are eager to get in on the fun—not everyone is open to playing their instrument while being dragged across the stage,” says Lars.
Acting experience
Both Lars and Hilde have previously participated in stage productions at Kilden, but this is the first time they have been part of such a large-scale production featuring actors, opera singers, dancers, and a symphony orchestra.
“I’ve been looking forward to performing in the play for four years,” says Lars.
“It hasn’t been that long,” Hilde interrupts.
As mentioned, *Amadeus* was supposed to premiere in 2021, but was delayed by a strike. As musicians, Lars and Hilde are told what to play well in advance of the premiere, and after a lengthy discussion, Hilde has to admit that Lars’s time calculations are probably correct.
Even though her timing wasn't quite right, Hilde makes up for it with her enthusiasm.
“I love theater and would go to the theater every night if I could—now I’m even on stage! The music in the play is so good! And as part of the ensemble, we get to be more involved in what’s happening on stage,” says Hilde, clearly enthusiastic.
Mozart
The play *Amadeus* is loosely based on the life of one of our greatest composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is said that Mozart had a God-given gift and perfect pitch, but can that outweigh hard work and months—perhaps even years—of practice?
“There are talented people, but ‘Mozarts’ really don’t grow on trees. I think Mozart got a lot of help from his father, who had a classical background himself. But there’s no denying that he was a genius,” says Lars.
“It’s almost hard to believe that such a young man could have created such amazing works; there’s something truly special about his music—something raw and genuine,” says Hilde, continuing:
– The music is technically demanding, but technique alone isn’t enough when performing Mozart. You need emotion. Genuine emotion.
“Mozart is difficult to play—perhaps one of the most difficult composers of all. It’s no coincidence that pieces by Mozart are used in auditions all over the world when new musicians are vying for a permanent position in an orchestra,” says Lars.
There is no doubt that Mozart stirs the emotions. Both Hilde and Lars are professional musicians who have dedicated their lives to their respective instruments. The conversation about Mozart turns into a friendly debate about how many concertos Mozart wrote for their respective instruments; as a violinist, Lars narrowly comes out on top, with five violin concertos to four horn concertos.
The movie Amadeus
The play *Amadeus* has been staged in countless venues around the world, but many people were likely first introduced to the story through the 1984 film of the same name. The film was very well received and won several prestigious film awards.
Both Hilde and Lars remember the film well, but after watching it again last year, their opinion of it has changed.
“When I saw the movie as a child, I thought it was a fun, entertaining film, but when I watch it with adult eyes, it has a different depth—it’s also a very sad movie,” says Lars. Hilde agrees and continues:
“He’s a tormented artistic soul living a very superficial life, in poverty.”
“I think it’s nice to watch the film before the show; it’s a great prelude to the performance—it’s fun, sad, and filled with wonderful music,” Lars concludes.
Amadeus will run from September 8 to October 14.