Edvard Grieg Kor with a successful Proms debut!

It was a great honor for us to be part of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London on August 11. This was a huge success for everyone in Edvard Grieg Kor, who received rave reviews for their performance.

Edvard Grieg Kor made its debut at the BBC Proms in August this year. Under the baton of chief conductor Edward Gardner, Ligeti's Requem and Lux Aeterna were performed to a packed Royal Albert Hall! Here is some of what the critics say:

"(...) and, from Norway, the Edvard Grieg Kor. The Norwegians, in particular, gave a stunning performance of Ligeti's Lux aeterna from high in the Albert Hall's gallery. Its swirl of vocal clusters suggested a very misty, murky vision of the afterlife until a high, brilliantly sustained soprano note pierced the gloom like a ray of sunlight." 

- THE TIMES ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4/5)

"For sheer strangeness it [Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra] was outdone by György Ligeti's short choral piece Lux Aeterna, sung by the Edvard Grieg Kor (...). It seemed as if an icily pure yet somehow tender Music of the Spheres had descended into the darkened hall, and for me it was the Proms' best moment yet."

- THE TELEGRAPH ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(5/5)

"Gardner's interpretation [of Ligeti's Requiem] was a thing of extremes. The quiet, penumbral opening Introit seemed to hover on the verges of sound and silence. Later, the roaring brass of the Dies Irae pinned you to your seat. The combined forces of the London Philharmonic Choir, RNCM Chamber Choir, and Norway's Edvard Grieg Kor (Gardner is also their chief conductor) sang with furious intensity."

- THE GUARDIAN ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4/5)

"It was refreshing to hear the sixteen-piece Edvard Grieg Kor from 'on high' in the gallery (..) the effect was to make you listen and experience the voices which drifted into the auditorium as if they were on the way from heaven (...) showcasing the brilliance of both the piece and the visiting choir."

- BROADWAY WORLD ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(5/5)

The BBC Proms is the world's largest international music festival, and the Edvard Grieg Choir has received excellent reviews after performing two works by Hungarian composer György Ligeti, Requiem and LUX AETERNA.

Ligeti's very demanding Requiem was performed by the Edvard Grieg Choir together with the Royal Northern College of Music's chamber choir, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. Lux Aeterna with the choir's chief conductor Edward Gardner. The latter work was performed by the choir alone from the upper gallery of the Royal Albert Hall with an audience of 6,000. It had a magical effect. The concert was an important milestone for Bergen and Western Norway's only professional choir. It was therefore great that Mayor Linn Kristin Langley Engø and County Mayor Jon Askeland were in attendance. The same was true of our supporter, the Grieg Foundation. It was also great that the Norwegian Embassy was there to mark the national significance of the guest performance.

It was truly amazing to see our 20 singers in the Edvard Grieg Kor perform a cappella in one of the world's most iconic concert halls, and is a milestone for the Edvard Grieg Kor, and a great tribute to the classical music field in Bergen. 

- 'The Edvard Grieg Choir is central to music-making in Bergen, and ever since I started working in this city I have been impressed by the quality, versatility and commitment of the group. It is a great privilege to have a central role with these wonderful singers," says Gardner  

Edward Gardner became principal conductor of the Edvard Grieg Kor for three seasons in 2021, and since then the Bergen-based choir has worked closely with him as an a cappella ensemble.