Truls Mørk and the Opera Orchestra:
Elgar's
Cello
Concerto
Truls Mørk / Photo: Johs Boe
The Mighty Mørk at the Oslo Opera House
When one of the world’s foremost cellists, Norwegian Truls Mørk, performs with the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, it is with a programme featuring Elgar’s melancholic swan song and one of Strauss’ monumental orchestral works.
Gift-wrapped romance
The music this evening ranges from the depths of the trenches to the summits of the Alps – with Elgar’s cello concerto and Strauss’ Alpine Symphony. Leading the way for these two heavyweights is the upcoming music director of the Oslo Opera House, Edward Gardner.
In remembrance of those who were lost
Truls Mørk is bringing a cornerstone of the cello repertoire with him to the Main Stage. Edward Elgar’s cello concerto is reminiscent of a requiem. In stark contrast to his Pomp and Circumstance (1904), it was not a triumphant military march that was composed by Elgar when England emerged victorious from World War I. The sorrowful cello concerto tells of a world left in ruins – and a wife on her deathbed.
To the very top with Strauss
Nevertheless, pomp and circumstance will appear on stage when over 100 musicians embark on Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony. Richard Strauss is one of the greatest orchestrators of all time and his Alpine Symphony is a musical tour de force through the grandeur of nature and its influence on our psyche.
In familiar style, Strauss resorts to effects with an impact, such as a wind and thunder machine in the orchestra, better known as a thunder sheet. A remote orchestra is also positioned in the auditorium, with trumpets, trombones and twelve extra French horns!