Friday 20 March, 19:00
(Doors open at 18:30)
Oslo Cathedral
Adult: 450 NOK
Senior/student: 350 NOK
Child: 100 NOK
Duration: approx. 1 hour
WORLD PREMIERE:
BENT SØRENSEN: ST JOHN PASSION
THEATRE OF VOICES
QUINTET FROM ENSEMBLE ALLEGRIA
PAUL HILLIER, conductor
Sørensen’s St John Passion in its entirety
Bent Sørensen presents his new St John Passion, commissioned by the festival. The first part, which had its premiere in 2025, ends with the crucifixion of Jesus. The second part moves to the story of Mary Magdalene spreading the good news of the resurrection on Easter Day. Sørensen creates a textual counter-point between fragments from the Gospel of John and other sources. Among these we find apocryphal texts such as The Secret Book of John and the gospels of Thomas, Mary, and Philip. In addition, Sørensen incorporates ballad lyrics from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance related to the Passion. Central in the work is the figure of Mary Magdalene, woven together with Sørensen’s recurring theme word “light”.
Sørensen describes the work as “a beautiful and delicate work” for five voices and five strings, in line with the festival’s thematic focus on church music in the 21st century. In keeping with our time’s serial culture, the work is composed in two parts: at the concert, the passion is performed in its entirety, with the world premiere of the work’s second part. The work is performed by the Theatre of Voices and a quintet from Ensemble Allegria, under the direction of legendary conductor Paul Hillier.
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Bent Sørensen (b.1958) is one of our time’s leading contemporary composers and is sought after both in Norway and abroad. Since his breakthrough in the 1980s, he has written a number of successful works for small and large ensembles, something that has led to several awards and accolades, among them the Nordic Council Music Prize. In 2014, Sørensen received the Wilhem Hansen foundation’s honorary award, and in 2018, he was given the prestigious American Grawemeyer Award for L’isola della Città. In 2025, he received the Hammerich prize for his years-long collaboration with Norwegian musical life. Sørensen also teaches composition at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music and at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
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Theatre of Voices was founded in 1990 by Paul Hillier. The Copenhagen-based group is twice nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize, and has performed at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie, and the Sydney Opera House. The group has made almost 40 recordings, won several awards, including a Grammy Award, and collaborates with ensembles such as Kronos Quartet, Smith Quartet, and London Sinfonietta. Their repertoire ranges from the earliest written music to modern sound art installations and contemporary opera. Their clear and distinct sound has made them a sought-after collaborator for leading contemporary composers, such as Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt, and David Lang.
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Ensemble Allegria is considered one of the country’s best ensembles, and is known for combining high artistic quality with spontaneity and flexibility. The orchestra consists of 26 permanent musicians, and has since the beginning been run by the musicians themselves, under the artistic direction of Maria Angelika Carlsen.
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Paul Hillier has had a versatile career, both as a singer, conductor, composer, and music writer. He is the founder of Hillliard Ensemble and later Theatre of Voices. He has been the chief conductor for the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Coro Casa da Música, and Chamber Choir Ireland. Hillier’s almost 200 recordings have received accolades all over the world and won a number of awards, among them the Diapason d’or and several Grammy Awards. A number of his recordings have been elected “Editor’s Choice” in leading international music magazines, and are considered reference recordings in music anthologies.
Photo: Bent Sørensen: Peter Christian Christensen, Theatre of Voices: Birgit Tengberg, Paul Hiller: Magnus Skrede, Ensemble Allegria: Helge Brekke
