Christian Ihle Hadland

When Christian Ihle Hadland sits by Grieg's piano on these bright May evenings, the magical and fairy-tale-like is a common thread in the music. The programme features Grieg side by side with Schumann, Medtner, and Levitzki, as well as Vivaldi arranged by Bach. 

– Bach, who never travelled outside Germany, must have wondered what life was like in Vivaldi's Venice. Even with Grieg's clear titles for his pieces, much is left to the performer's and audience's imagination. Schumann's late works are shrouded in mystery: new worlds open to us in brief glimpses, and then it's suddenly over, says Ihle Hadland. 

– Nikolai Medtner's sonata is based on a fairytale – without revealing which one. Mischa Levitzki, on the other hand, represents the carefree 1920s – charming, relaxed, and slightly nostalgic – evoking thoughts of 'fernweh', the German word for longing for a place one has never been, the pianist continues. 

Ihle Hadland has performed at the Bergen International Festival several times, including as a soloist performing the Festival’s signature work, Grieg’s Piano Concert in A minor. He has a prestigious career that spans from chamber music festivals to major stages both at home and abroad. During this year's Festival, he is also a masterclass mentor with the Jiri Hlinka Piano Academy.

Image: Christian Ihle Hadland (photo: Nikolaj Lund)

Transportation

With your concert ticket you can book free return bus transportation from the Tourist Information to Troldhaugen. Departure one hour before the concert starts, return after the concert. The journey takes approx. 30 min.

Contributors

• Christian Ihle Hadland piano

Works

• Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
  Concerto in D major, BWV 972 
  Arr.: Johann Sebastian Bach

• Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
  Lyric Pieces, op. 43 

• Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951)
  Sonata in C minor, op. 25 no. 1 Fairy Tale

• Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
  Gesänge der Frühe, op. 133 

• Mischa Levitzki (1898–1941)
  Valse amour, op. 2 

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