Bergen 2009| page 1 | (go to page 2 or go to page 3) |
From Tuesday 5 until Wednesday 13 May 2009 Laura and I visit Bergen, Norway. We see the premiere of the songstory The Climber by Judge Smith, we're present at the recording of the CD en we have a holiday. On these pages you'll find a number of photos. Click on the photos for enlargement.
There are many wooden houses in the city, painted in many different colours.
It is Spring, so there are plants and bushes blooming all around the place. There's a lot of flowers and blossoms.
The street our house is on, Strangebakken. We live on the top of this street on the left-hand side. We rented the ground floor of a house, and the landlord (actually the whole landfamily) lives at the top floors. We have our own kitchen.
A church near to our house. This is quite near to the centre of the city already.
The mountain Fløyen, near to the centre as well. The track of the funicular can clearly be seen, and on top of the mountain is a restaurant. Lateron Judge would call the choir the Fløyen Voices.
The performance of The Climber is in the United Sardine Factories, USF Verftet, also in the centre and near to our house. Today we go and visit it already. It is on the waterfront, and it indeed is the old sardine factory.
The main entrance of USF, on the other side of the building.
The main entrance again, with the terrace.
A gull on a lamppost.
Small square with blossoms.
Land ho!
A house.
Blossoms, with in the background the Fløyen again. Generally the weather is very good. It is very variable however. Twenty minutes of rain, then half an hour dry, then sunny again, etcetera.
More blossoms.
A house near ours.
More blossoms still.
A statue with gull.
On 6 May Judge gives a lecture in the Grieg Institute about composing. Ricardo Odriozola organised the lecture, and also the concert and the CD recording. He is a teacher at the Grieg Institute, and he is the one who assembled the choir. This is when Ricardo introduces Judge.
Judge gives his lecture.
The audience consists of music students and one student in composition.
Bryggen, the old, wooden part of Bergen, near the harbour.
Bryggen.
The day after the lecture Laura and I take the funicular up the mountain Fløyen. This is the view from the funicular, in a small tunnel.
View from the Fløyen onto the central peninsula of Bergen, where we live and where USF is.
The city in bird's-eye view.
Musical notes on the fence.
We take a walk on the Fløyen. During a short hailstorm Laura unfolds the umbrella for me.
A tree on the Fløyen.
Street in Bergen.
Square in Bergen.
View of the town.
I make a series of photographs of front doors. Here is a compilation.
More front doors.
Today at last is the performance of The Climber.
The USF logo: three happy penguins holding sardines in their mouths.
USF photographed from the wharf.
The USF terrace.
Standing inside USF, in the hall, looking up.
Inside USF, in the hall, looking sideways.
Art on the wall in USF.
The soundcheck. There's a male choir of twelve voices, a double bass, and a solo voice by Judge.
The conductor, Petter Høiaas.
Singer Björn-Erik Ulvatne.
Ricardo Odriozola, who also sang a voice in the choir.
Judge (in the background Robin Søndergaard).
Judge (in the background Roger W.S. Martin).
Judge.
Bassist Leif O. Korsnes.
Singer Paul Arlidge.
Judge.
Judge. The mountaineer this piece is about, is now stuck during the climb of the mountain, and it's getting cold.
Judge.
Judge. The mountaineer loses consciousness.
Three baritone singers, Paul Arlidge, Jørgen Ruud Gomperud and Jan-Erik Baadsvik.
Judge.
Judge, with behind him Magnus Skrede, Björn-Erik Ulvatne, Roger W.S. Martin, Ronald Worley and Robin Søndergaard.
Singers Jørgen Ruud Gomperud and Jan-Erik Baadsvik.
The hall. The soundcheck is over, and we're in anticipation of the performance.
The empty stage.
Ricardo Odriozola announces the performance.
