Verdensstjerner på scenen de to neste konsertene

Grunnet en tilfeldighet, kan det klassiske publikum på Sørlandet glede seg til to uker med fiolinister i verdensklasse på scenen med Kristiansand Symfoniorkester. Orkesterdirektør Pål Svendsberget kaller det hele «veldig uvanlig». 

“It would be almost impossible for a city of 100,000 residents to host two such luminaries within two weeks. For us, this is a lot of fun,” says Svendsberget.  

The soloists in question are Grammy-winning American violinist Gil Shaham and the incoming chief conductor of the KSO, Julian Rachlin (who will serve as both conductor and soloist). Shaham was brought in at the last minute after the original soloist, percussionist Martin Grubinger, had to cancel his appearance at the concert on April 20.

One of the great figures of our time 

“By chance, we found out that one of today’s great violinists was available on this date, so we figured it would be better to try to get him to Kristiansand than to pass up the opportunity. We received great help from Thursday’s conductor, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, and we’re grateful for that,” Svendsberget smiles.  

Shaham accepted the invitation, which means that as early as this week he will perform Tchaikovsky’s famous Violin Concerto with the KSO, conducted by the aforementioned Gullberg Jensen. The very next week, it’s time for “An Evening with Rachlin and Brahms,” where the orchestra’s incoming chief conductor will perform Johannes Brahms’s Violin Concerto and conduct Symphony No. 2.

Grammy winner 

Gil Shaham is one of the great violinists of our time and has received numerous awards and honors. For many years, he has been a sought-after artist by orchestras around the world, and throughout his career he has performed with prestigious ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and the Orchestre de Paris, to name a few. On April 20, he will visit Kristiansand for the first time.