Organ concert with Victoria Ulriksen
Monday March 11, 19:00
(Doors open at 18:00)
Oslo Cathedral
Adult: 300 NOK
Senior/student: 200 NOK
Child: 100 NOK
Duration: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Victoria Ulriksen, organ
For this concert, 17-year-old Victoria Ulriksen has chosen selected favourites for solo organ, wanting to show the audience how varied and versatile the instrument is. The programme includes fantastic organ works by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Rachmaninov, and Widor. The concert opens with what is, according to Ulriksen herself, the evening’s principal work: J.S. Bach’s (1685–1750) superb Toccata in F Major, BWV 540. G.F. Handel (1685–1759) wrote a number of organ concertos for his oratorios. These functioned as an intermission between the acts, and became very popular. Ulriksen performs Concerto No. 10 in D minor, op. 7/4, HWV 309. Despite W.A. Mozart (1756–1791) being famous for his organ playing, he wrote few works for the instrument that has been preserved. Ulriksen performs Mozart’s Adagio and Allegro in F minor, K. 594. This is one of three pieces that has been preserved, written in Vienna for mechanical organ. We will also hear a transcription of Sergei Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14, which is originally from a song cycle written for high voice (tenor or soprano) and piano from 1915. C.-M. Widor (1844–1937) composed all of ten organ symphonies, and Ulriksen performs Organ Symphony No. 6 in G minor for solo organ, written in 1878 when Widor was organist at Saint-Sulpice. The work premiered at Palais du Trocadéro as a part of the Universal Exposition in Paris.
I often think that good organ music is so moving that you can imagine stories, emotions, and experiences in the span of one piece of music.
Victoria Ulriksen
Programme:
J.S. Bach:
Toccata in F Major, BWV 540
G.F. Handel: Concerto No. 10 in D minor, Op. 7/4, HWV 309
(transcribed by Marcel Dupré)
I. Adagio
II. Allegro
III. Organo ad libitum
IV. Allegro
W.A. Mozart:
Adagio and Allegro in F minor, K. 594
(arranged by Martin Haselböck)
S. Rachmaninov:
Transcription of Vocalise, Op.34, No.14
(arranged by Richard McVeigh)
C.- M. Widor: Organ Symphony No. 6 in G minor
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Intermezzo
IV. Cantabile
V. Finale
Victoria Ulriksen (born in 2006) is studying organ in the bachelor's program at the Norwegian Academy of Music under the guidance of cathedral organist and professor Kåre Nordstoga. Additionally, she is pursuing studies in fortepiano and modern piano with professor emerita Liv Glaser. In 2019, she gained recognition with several performances on the TV show "Norske Talenter" (Norway's Got Talent) on TV2. She has received awards in competitions both domestically and internationally, including first prize in the finals of the Ungdommens Musikkmesterskap (Norwegian Music Competition for Youth). She regularly gives solo concerts in Norway and abroad, showcasing her talents. Her performances have included playing on Scandinavia's only Cavaillé-Coll organ in Copenhagen and a historic Serassi organ in Italy. In 2024, she is scheduled to tour cathedrals in England. She has also performed at the openings of various festivals, such as the Salzburg Festival, and at multiple venues in Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
