Oslo Opera House 22 May 2022 - Quatuor Ébène | GoComGo.com

Quatuor Ébène

Oslo Opera House, Main Stage, Oslo, Norway
All photos (1)
Select date and time
6 PM

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).

Important Info
Type: Classical Concert
City: Oslo, Norway
Starts at: 18:00
Duration: 2h

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
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet no. 60 in G major, Op.76 no.1, Hob III:75
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet in G major, K387
Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor "Malinconia", Op.110
Johannes Brahms: String Quartet no. 3 in B flat major, Op.67
Overview

The New York Times describes them as “a string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band”. When Quatuor Ébène performs at the Oslo Opera House, they will be interpreting classical favourites like no one else.

For the past 20 years, Quatuor Ébène has explored everything from Beethoven and Bartók to Piazzolla and Wayne Shorter. These four musicians have achieved notoriety with their versatility and electric interaction – not to mention their ability to create an intense concert experience that will have you at the edge of your seat. 

At the Oslo Opera House, they will be delighting the audience with classical music, arriving at the Main Stage directly from Wigmore Hall in London and bringing a program that is sure to captivate even those who do not normally listen to classical music.  

Mozart, Shostakovich and Brahms 

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 14 has been nicknamed the ‘spring quartet’ and is the first of the ‘Haydn quartets’ that Mozart dedicated to Joseph Haydn, known as the ‘father of the string quartet’.  

It took only three days for Shostakovich to write his eight-string quartet. Out of a total of 14, it has become the most popular – in spite of how this melancholic piece reflects much of the pain felt by the composer in the face of a fascist political system in his home country of Russia. 

While Shostakovich wrote 14 string quartets, the self-critical Johannes Brahms composed only three. Some have characterized No. 3 as ‘the humorous one’ and it also remained his personal favorite. Describing the third movement, he said that “it is the most tender and most passionate one I have written”. 

Young warm-up quartet 

As part of the collaboration with the Oslo Quartet Series, the concert opens with the young Norwegian string quartet Sonoro, with a cheerful movement from Haydn’s Quartet in G major. The musicians in Sonoro have grown up with music and merriment at the Barratt Due Institute of Music and that makes for wonderful friendships! Since being established in 2019, this up-and-coming quartet has performed at numerous festivals across the country. 

About Quatuor Ébène 

Quatuor Ébène is a French string quartet based just outside of Paris. The quartet has gained prominence for its versatility and brave interpretations and performs a wide spectrum of genres, from classical to contemporary, jazz, and film scores. Their work has been met with enthusiasm from critics and audiences alike and they have earned such prestigious awards as a Gramophone Award, BBC Music Magazine Award, and Middem Classic Award for their recordings. With their charismatic playing and uninhibited approach to various styles, these musicians have succeeded in reaching a large audience of listeners of all ages. 

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
Duration: 2h
Top of page