Oslo Opera House 22 September 2019 - Grex Vocalis: Finale | GoComGo.com

Grex Vocalis: Finale

Oslo Opera House, Main Stage, Oslo, Norway
All photos (1)
Select date and time
6 PM
Request for Tickets
Important Info
Type: Classical Concert
City: Oslo, Norway
Starts at: 18:00
Intervals: 1
Duration:

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Programme
Grex Vocalis: Finale
Overview

After 48 years in the top tier of Norwegian chamber choirs, Grex Vocalis ends his career with a grand concert on the main stage of the Opera. The program becomes a cross-section of the choir's repertoire over time. Five outstanding performers, all closely related to the Grex Vocalis, are present when the choir invites to a concert for the very last time.

The history of Grex Vocalis includes concerts, TV appearances, a dozen performances at the Norwegian Theater, tours at home and abroad, a number of victories in international choral competitions and three Spellman awards: 1977 for Grex Vocalis: Norwegian Folksongs & European Madrigals (Arne Bendiksen) , 1983 for Renaissance for choirs (Ecclesiastical Culture Workshop) and 2006 for Draumkvedet, Arne Nordheim (Simax).

Grex Vocalis - "the singing flock" - was founded by Carl Høgset in 1971 and quickly established itself as one of Norway's leading vocal ensembles. The chancellor's ideal of sound was shaped by continental impulses, and the choir was cast in a purification of the early music tradition, where homogeneity, purity, lines, vocal color and focus on textual content and expression are essential. These qualities the choir has also included in their work with other musical eras, and together they constitute a thorough school that provides the basis for all kinds of polyphonic singing.

Today, Oslo has a rich choir life with a lot of talented conductors and amateur choirs. That was not the case in the 1970s. At that time, no music institutions offered bachelor's and master's degrees in choral direction, and no one had heard Poulenc's choral music in Norway. Carl Høgset's repertoire choices and interpretations brought something completely new into the Norwegian music scene. Grex Vocalis has commissioned and performed works by Norwegian composers, but the choir also has a long tradition of performing large, well-known works with an orchestra in the Advent era - including Bach's Christmas Oratory and Messe in H minor, Handel's Messiah and Monteverdi's Mariavesper. NRK recorded several hour-long programs with Grex Vocalis in the 1980s, and a long collaboration between the choir and Arne Nordheim culminated in Draumkvedet, which was first performed in connection with the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer - in a scenic version at the Norwegian Theater.

The choir has toured Norway and Europe and also visited Japan and Cuba, winning first prizes in national and international choir competitions. Grex Vocalis has released ten recordings and contributed to fifteen others. The chorus's tone is as distinctive and recognizable today as it was on the choir's first release.

Grex Vocalis has had international interests and aspirations throughout, and Høgset's sound ideal has been essential to the choir's musical signature, success and awards. Now the choir and conductor sets the score for Grex Vocalis.

Don't miss the choir's farewell concert!

The concert is supported by the municipality of Oslo, the Norwegian Choir Association and FFUK.

Venue Info

Oslo Opera House - Oslo
Location   Kirsten Flagstads Plass 1

The Oslo Opera House is the home of The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The building is situated in the Bjørvika neighbourhood of central Oslo, at the head of the Oslofjord. It is operated by Statsbygg, the government agency which manages property for the Norwegian government. The structure contains 1,100 rooms in a total area of 38,500 m2 (414,000 sq ft). The main auditorium seats 1,364 and two other performance spaces can seat 200 and 400. The main stage is 16 m (52 ft) wide and 40 m (130 ft) deep. The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with marble from Carrara, Italy and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water. It is the largest cultural building constructed in Norway since Nidarosdomen was completed circa 1300.

In 1999, after a long national debate, the Norwegian legislature decided to construct a new opera house in the city. A design competition was held and, of the 350 entries received, the judges chose that of Snøhetta. Construction started in 2003 and was completed in 2007, ahead of schedule and 300 million NOK (~US$52 million) under its budget of 4.4 billion NOK (~US$760 million). The gala opening on 12 April 2008 was attended by His Majesty King Harald, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and President Tarja Halonen of Finland and other leaders. During the first year of operation, 1.3 million people passed through the building's doors.

The Opera House won the culture award at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in October 2008 and the 2009 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture.

The roof of the building angles to ground level, creating a large plaza that invites pedestrians to walk up and enjoy the panoramic views of Oslo. While much of the building is covered in white granite and La Facciata, a white Italian carrara marble, the stage tower is clad in white aluminium, in a design by Løvaas & Wagle that evokes old weaving patterns.

The lobby is surrounded by 15 m (49 ft) tall windows with minimal framing and special glass that allows maximum views of the water. The roof is supported by thin angled columns also designed not to interfere with views.

Interior surfaces are covered in oak to bring warmth to spaces in contrast to the coolness of the white exterior. The main auditorium is a horseshoe shape and illuminated by an oval chandelier containing 5,800 handmade crystals. Seats include monitors for the electronic libretto system, allowing audiences to follow opera libretti in Norwegian and English in addition to the original language.

Several art projects were commissioned for the interior and exterior of the Opera House. The most notable is She Lies, a sculpture constructed of stainless steel and glass panels by Monica Bonvicini. It is permanently installed on a concrete platform in the fjord adjacent to Opera House and floats on the water moving in response to tides and wind to create an ever-changing face to viewers. The work was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Sonja on 11 May 2010.

A perforated wall panel which covers roof supports in the lobby was designed by Olafur Eliasson. It features hexagonal opening and is illuminated from below and behind to create the illusion of melting ice. Other artists involved in the construction include Kristian Blystad, Jorunn Sannes and Kalle Grude, who designed the shape of the pavers on the forecourt and roof; Bodil Furu and Trine Lise Nedreaas, who created a film and video project; Marte Aas, Talleiv Taro Manum, Tom Sandberg, Gerd Tinglum and Nina Witoszek Fitzpatrick, who created the art book Site Seeing; and Linus Elmes and Ludvig Löfgren, who created the foundation stone.

The main stage curtain is the work of Pae White who designed it to look like crumpled aluminum foil. White scanned a crumpled piece of foil into a computer which translated the information to a loom that wove the curtain from wool, cotton and polyester to create a three-dimensional effect. The curtain was manufactured by the German-based theatrical equipment company Gerriets GmbH. The finished curtain measures 74 ft (23 m) wide and 36 ft (11 m) and weighs 1,100 lb (500 kg).

Important Info
Type: Classical Concert
City: Oslo, Norway
Starts at: 18:00
Intervals: 1
Duration:
Top of page