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The Baroque soloists and Mamelukk of course it will come Førde with The Dancers Brew!
Music & Language is the theme for the 35th anniversary of Førdefestivalen , July 2-6. -We experience this as a very relevant topic at a time when the world is more turbulent than it has been in a long time, and where language and rhetoric are helping to create polarization, says festival director Sølvi Lien . Both language and folk music say something about where we belong, a cultural address label that creates identity. It is exactly 85 years since the invasion of Norway, and culture is now part of the report to the Storting on total preparedness in our country. Societies rich in art and culture give us the ability to see multiple perspectives, and create a common identity that acts as a unifier and preventive against war.
On Førdefestivalen The audience gets to listen to music they have never heard before and sing in languages they do not understand. Yet the music speaks to them and tells stories from all over the world. -This has been the case for all 35 years we have been organizing the festival, and we know that many people come because they experience this unifying power of folk music, says the festival director.
Benju master Ustad Noor Bakhsh from Pakistan is one of the people you will experience at NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM.
New arenas and new concept
-Unfortunately, we cannot be at the Jølstra Museum this year, but instead there will be a new concept and a new museum. Together with Sogn og Fjordane Kunstmuseum, we invite you to Night at the Museum , with concerts, dance and small art activities throughout the building, after the opening concert on Thursday. I think it will be great fun, says an enthusiastic Lien.
It will also be fun when Sentrum Sør and Langebrua will be the venue for the festival breakfast on Saturday morning. With the chef's guild as a partner, the festival invites you to an anniversary breakfast on the brand new 'åkle carpet'. Langebrua will be the venue for a kite workshop and kite show with world champion Ajaz Ul Haq from Pakistan, among other things.
The Swedish superduo Hedin & Meidell will be heard in the old priest's room at Toene. Entirely acoustic.
The festival can also tempt with the Swedish superduo Hedin & Meidell in the fine rooms of former dean Reidar Knapstad at Toene. And together with the Children's Turlag, there will be a trip to the forest at Farsund, and two exciting Nesa i jorda concerts, where the ingredients are circus acrobatics and folk music.
We get a completely unique twist on this year's theme when Linda Eide lets loose with folk musical language fun on Saturday evening. - We are looking forward to getting her perspective on languages and folk music from all over the world, says Sølvi Lien The opening concert will be led by Førde his own national profile, Ronny Brede Aase , also with a flair for both music and language.
Minority languages in danger
Indigenous artist Sara Curruchich from Guatemala uses music in the fight for her own native language, Kaqchikel, and for women's rights. Marja Mortensson as writer the commissioned work for the festival, fights for the Southern Sami language which is spoken by less than a thousand people. Duò Lavoà Lapò from Marseille brings to light an almost forgotten language and a polyphonic song tradition from Occitania, which is the old name for the land areas in the south of France, Italy and Spain.
Trio Da Kali represents the West African griot tradition at this year's festival.
New life for old traditions
Trio Da Kali from Mali represents the griot tradition in West Africa, where the musical and storytelling traditions are passed down from father to son, generation after generation. In modern times, the tradition is also passed down to daughters. - A griot can be compared to our old poets, says the director Sølvi Lien , they convey both music, song and stories. Chango Spasiuk is the chamamé tradition's answer to Piazolla. Chamamé music has roots both in Spanish, African and Guarani traditions. The Finnish accordion phenomenon Antti Paalanen is a whole band in itself, and combines accordion, stomping and vocal use in a way you've probably never heard before. The folk-fusion band Mitsune breathes new life into the Japanese shamisen tradition, in its completely original and non-traditional way, which must be experienced.
Japanese Mitsune conveys the shamisen tradition - in its own unique way. A musical experience of the rarest kind.
Meeting between musical languages
Several of the musical expressions you will be presented with Førde this year is a meeting between several musical languages. Inger Hannisdal Ensemble mixes Norwegian folk tunes and Arabic maqam into a wonderful musical universe. Heilnorske Reolô plays Norwegian folk music reminiscent of African desert blues, and the concert The face of God in the church is a powerful and contrasting encounter between Cuncordu e Tenore de Orosei 's traditional sacred men's song from Sardinia and the avant-garde music of the Dutch cellist Ernst Reijseger. Sami and Persian traditions and ritual meet when Mahsa Vahdat and Kajsa Balto celebrate light and hope in the concert Lysning , and in The Dancers Brew with the Barokksolistene and Mamelukk Dansekompani, drinking songs meet and slay test. The music of Ustad Noor Bakhsh from Pakistan is influenced by everything from South Asian ragas, Persian and Kurdish melodies, Bollywood songs, Sindhi folk music to birdsong!
The Face of God - Ernst Rejseger and Concordu e Tenore de Orosei from Sardinia and the Netherlands.
IRISH! - and Norwegian solo
For those who love Irish folk music, just make room on Friday night, then it's IRISH! with The Friel Sisters and Goitse, two solid representatives of one of the world's most popular folk music genres, Irish!
For those who love Hardanger fiddle, there are also a few treats in the program: Gro Marie Svidal has an album release concert for her second solo album, Tryllespel , at the festival, and connoisseurs will greatly appreciate the acoustic meeting with Øivind Vabø & Sigbjørn Apeland.
Gro Marie Svidal has an album release concert for the album Tryllespel .
At Førdekonferansen the theme is Language at stake . Here there will be presentations on how language has shaped history, language and truth in social debate, poetry from Palestine and much more. Check the program for an exciting cultural conference here.
More than anything else is Førdefestivalen a festival where you can experience artists and musical expressions that you won't find presented at other festivals in Norway. In Førde 5 days of international folk music and dance await you from more than 30 small and large stages. A total of 75 program items are on the poster for this year's festival.