I spent a day in Stavanger observing and documenting noted composer and conductor Péter Eötvös working with a selected number of participants from the Norwegian conductor’s program (Dirigentløftet/Talent Norge/Sparebankstiftelsen).
Maestro Eötvös was this season’s Composer in Residence of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, also conducting his own works.
Here are a few impressions from their last workshop day.
I had the pleasure of photographing the chief conductor of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera on the streets of (exactly) Trondheim this fall. In the spring of 2022 I will capture her in action with the orchestra as well as doing a studio portrait session.
Principal double bass of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera Aaron Olguin in the spotlight.
Publicity images of principal guest conductor of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera, James Gaffigan.
A few images from the performance of the Christmas Oratorio by J.S. Bach at the Nidaros Cathedral. Due to the ongoing corona-situation, the whole setup of the orchestra and choir was different and movement was restricted, but I kind of like the framing and “peering through”-feeling those challenges presented.
The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera recently performed the Christmas Oratorio by J.S. Bach at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, a tradition before the Christmas holidays.
The cathedral has just finished installing a completely new lighting setup, which really showcases the (vast) space. This was also the first time that I could test my latest lens purchase, the Leica 18mm Super Elmar for the M-system.
All these shots were captured handheld using the Leica M10 and the Visoflex typ 020 electronic viewfinder. This lens may be tiny in its stature, but it’s a beast when it comes to perspective and performance. These images can almost be considered as snapshots since no tripod was used (shutter speed of 1/30s) and subsequently the ISO-values were pretty high at 6400.
It was exciting to finally be able to take in so much of the architecture, in one single frame.
The impressive organ pipes served in my mind as “musical architecture”.
More images from the performance and a group portrait will follow shortly.
Leif Ove Andsnes preparing an all Mozart-program with the musicians of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera in October 2020.
It is an absolute joy to stand “ringside” and hear the results of that intensive listening process and the subsequent interaction between the soloist and the orchestra. A journey of discovery that never ends.
From behind the scenes and closed doors when COVID-19 stopped us all in our tracks.
Digital concert productions, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera. May 2020.
A close look (literally) at the conductor’s role in a rehearsal situation, as observed from the co-principal viola chair of the orchestra: Greeting, looking, listening, coordinating and generally having fun making music together.
Featuring Han-Na Chang, chief conductor of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera, at work with the orchestra in Seoul.
Ole
The punchline from the famous joke “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” couldn’t be more true for a musician. The time spent on stage, performing for the audience in the evening, is only the tip of the iceberg. Finding time and a place to practice and to focus on the task at hand is crucial, whether it is in a Seoul hotel room, on stage at the venue or in a dimly lit backstage corridor.
Ole
The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera has landed safely in Seoul, South Korea. I personally have been to Seoul once before, many years ago, touring all over Asia with the Trondheim Soloists and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Touring with a full sized symphony orchestra is something quite different, logistically, compared to travelling with a smaller string ensemble. Here are some first impressions after touching down at Incheon International Airport outside Seoul.
Ole
My orchestra, The Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera, is soon leaving home base in Norway for a tour of South Korea. I’ll be doing double duty as co-principal of the viola section and tour photographer for the duration of this trip. The images will primarily be delivered to and distributed by the communications office of the orchestra, but I will also try to update my own blog with pictures and some accompanying text. I hope that you will enjoy following us as we head to Asia!
Here are some behind the scenes moments from our concert in Trondheim last night.
Ole
Good evening from Berlin,
Returning to the apartment from a rather spectacular performance at the aforementioned Philharmonie, I started thinking about the need to express oneself artistically and the process of creating.
Why photography? A legitimate question. “You’re a musician, not a photographer.” That’s true, and yet I play and talk “in pictures”. So then, why not take actual images as well. Our life is very much a sensory experience, and that is what I’m trying to bring to life whatever the expressive outlet might be. Sound for a classical musician often starts with lines and dots on a piece of paper, which is pretty uninteresting for both the performer and the listener if it wasn't for the interpretive possibilities of those signs. The same can be said of photography, it’s basically just about the interplay between light and shadow. But when brought to life in a single frame, it can yield wonderful results.
The thing with creating music is that you spend endless hours, if not years, practising and preparing for something that is “lost the moment it’s created”. When the note is played, it’s gone (if not recorded of course). That’s both the magic of a live performance, but also kind of a sad fact if you ask me. Photography is on the other hand something entirely different, it’s about capturing and holding on to that moment. Keeping a record of whatever happened, no matter the significance of that moment.
Going back to music for a moment. Like I said, I just returned for an orchestra concert at the Philharmonie. The Berlin Philharmonic played Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony conducted by Daniel Harding. He conducted the very first concert I ever played with a professional orchestra, close to 20 years ago. Conducting no less than a symphony by Mahler. That was a very special experience for a young music student, being thrust into the overwhelming world of Gustav Mahler without knowing how to make heads or tails of playing in an orchestra. Much because of this experience, Mahler’s music has a very special place in my heart. There’s no record of this, it’s just in my memory and again it is all about conveying and understanding human feelings.
Photography has in a way completed my need for holding on to moments, so that music can stay fleeting and magical in its own right.
Music and photography, two quite different ways of communicating human feelings, but at the same time very complementary looking at the big picture.
Bis später,
Ole
Seeing music.
Hello from Berlin,
I’m spending the month of March in this awesome city of culture. The municipality of my hometown of Trondheim (Norway) has very kindly allowed me with to stay in their “artists apartment” here in Berlin for a whole month. This is a rather unique opportunity for an artist like myself, that’s allowing me to get to know the cultural scene of Berlin in greater depth than is possible during a short visit. There’s so much going on at any given time here, which one expects of a world class city. The more you experience, the more you realise the scope of whats on offer, and that you cannot possibly take it all in, in the course of just one month. That’s of course not entirely a bad thing, it just means that you have to return again and again.
The focal point of any trip to Berlin, as a classical musician and photographer, is of course Die Philharmonie. The home of the mighty Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. There are so many great orchestras and concert halls around the world, but can they top this power house of music I wonder? There’s something of a “Gesamtkunstwerk” going on when you visit this place, located close to Potsdamer Platz. You can see the architect Sharoun’s golden and edgy building from afar. When you enter into this structure, you wander around in these angled and quirky shapes. The evident reason for the shape of this building hits you when stepping into the main performance hall. You as an audience member are surrounding the stage and the sound surrounds you. An immersive feeling, if you’re on stage performing or comfortably seated in the hall as a member of the audience. Do make the time to come to Die Philharmonie and experience the true power of the performing arts. If you would like to see more of the hall, the resident orchestra and behind the scenes footage, I highly recommend checking out the orchestra’s own photographer Monika Rittershaus. You can find her work online and, believe it or not, in good old fashioned books. Her book “Moving Music” is a wonderful documentation of Sir Simon Rattle’s tenure as chief conductor of the orchestra.
I still have a few days left in Berlin before I head home, and those days will be filled with cultural activities and of course photography.
Bis später,
Ole
Die Philharmonie