Christmas in the North

What did Christmas sound like in the Nordic countries three hundred years ago? Together we travel through winter landscapes, church bells and living Christmas traditions from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Scotland, Poland and northern Germany. Together with one of Norway's finest singers, Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo-soprano), the critically acclaimed, Spellemann-nominated Baroque ensemble Oslo Circles invites you to a warm and atmospheric Christmas concert where well-known Christmas tunes meet forgotten musical treasures. At this concert we follow Christmas music as it travelled along trade routes and coastlines around the North Sea and the Baltic. From the magnificent church music of northern Germany to Danish courts, Swedish hymns, Norwegian folk tunes and musical traditions from all over northern Europe, a rich and living musical landscape is woven. This is Christmas as it might have sounded at court, in churches and in homes around the North Sea and the Baltic in the 1600s and 1700s. The music ranges from solemn chorales to dancing folk tunes and pastorals - with composers such as Dieterich Buxtehude, Georg Philipp Telemann, James Oswald and other masters, side by side with rarer gems and lovely Christmas songs that deserve to be heard again. Marianne Beate Kielland's characteristically warm mezzo-soprano, combined with Oslo Circles' lively playing on historical instruments, creates a concert experience that is intimate, beautiful and full of energy. There is room for reflection, joy and plenty of Christmas magic - all presented on original instruments! Whether you want to relax before the Christmas holidays, experience Baroque music at its most atmospheric, or find a very special gift for someone you love, Christmas from the North is a concert that warms you - and stays with you long after the last note has faded. Welcome! About Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-soprano: Marianne Beate Kielland is one of Europe's leading mezzo-sopranos. She performs regularly with renowned orchestras and works with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Thomas Dausgaard, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Fabio Luisi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Robin Ticciati. She is particularly in demand in Baroque opera, with roles such as Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Merope in Vivaldi's Oracolo in Messenia (most recently on an extensive tour with Europa Galante) and Messaggiera and Proserpina in Monteverdi's Orfeo (most recently at the Opéra Comique in Paris under the direction of Jordi Savall). In 2012 she was nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Classical Vocal Solo for the album Veslemøy synsk, with music by Edvard Grieg and Olav Anton Thommessen. With more than 60 recordings and a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to contemporary music, she has established herself as an outstanding interpreter of music from many centuries. She has long collaborated with the Baroque ensemble Oslo Circles, with concerts in Norway, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland and Italy. Their recording "Lamento" (LAWO) with music from the 1600s was nominated for the German music prize Opus Klassik - in three categories. Marianne Beate Kielland is artistic director of the Oslo Chamber Music Festival and professor II at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. She grew up in Furnes and comes with this concert "home for Christmas". Photo cred: David Dawson About Oslo Circles: The critically acclaimed, Spellemann-nominated OSLO CIRCLES is a Baroque ensemble from Oslo, and its musicians are established and leading figures in the Scandinavian Baroque scene. The Baroque violinist Astrid Kirschner gathers musicians around her in musical 'circles' of various sizes. The musicians are also found in established international groups such as Concerto Copenhagen, Concerto Italiano, B'Rock, Academia Montis Regalis, Barokkanerne, Barokksolistene, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and many more. Oslo Circles collaborates with artists such as Hana Blažíková (soprano), Guy Cutting (tenor), Johannes Weisser (bass-baritone), David Hansen (countertenor), Marianne Beate Kielland (mezzo-soprano), Berit Norbakken (soprano), Barthold Kuijken (traverso), Rinaldo Alessandrini (harpsichord) and the actors Per Christian Ellefsen and Anders Baasmo Christiansen. Oslo Circles has appeared at international Baroque festivals such as Tage Alter Musik, Regensburg (Germany), Barocktage Stift Melk (Austria), Froville Festival (France), Wunderkammer (Italy), Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Korkyra Baroque Festival (Croatia), Baroque & Beyond (Sweden), Spazio & Musica (Italy) and Varazdin Baroque Evenings (Croatia), where the group also received the critics' prize for the festival's best musical interpretation. Oslo Circles' first album One Charming Night (SIMAX), with arias and theatre music by Henry Purcell (with David Hansen, countertenor), was released in November 2019, and Oslo Circles' second recording, LAMENTO (for LAWO) with Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-soprano, came out in January 2022. Both recordings have received glowing reviews in superlatives, from both the national and international press, including three nominations for the German music prize Opus Klassik. In 2025 Oslo Circles' album - Bizzarrie! - was released, and it was nominated for the prestigious Norwegian SPELLEMANN in the Classical category. In 2026 Oslo Circles was awarded a Special Award - The Baroque Music Prize at the Manhattan International Music Competition in New York. https://www.oslocircles.com/

• Marianne Beate Kielland

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