Wigmore Hall presents

Beach, Grieg and Henning Kraggerud

Henning Kraggerud violin
Ljubica Stojanovic piano

The outstanding Norwegian musician, Henning Kraggerud offers Wigmore audiences the UK premiere of a new piece that was first played in Tromsø last year and which exists in flexible scoring. Romantartica pays homage to the Norwegian city – whence many explorers set off for the Arctic – and Hobart, Tasmania — where Antarctic expeditions once frequently took to the sea; the multi-prize-winning Serbian pianist joins him for this intriguing program.

Henning Kraggerud is Artistic Director of the Arctic Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. His extraordinary reach as an artist is a result of his versatility and passion for music, as well as the genuine quality to his playing and the beauty of his performances. His teaching and educational writings provide fascinating insights into his multi-faceted approach to music-making, while his composing, arranging and improvising – frequently bringing his own works into the concert hall – recall the spirit of the old masters such as Josef Suk and Eugène Ysaÿe.

Henning is a prolific composer whose works are performed by many prominent musicians and orchestras around the globe. His largest-scale work to date is entitled Equinox: 24 Postludes in All Keys for Violin and String Orchestra. Commissioned, premiered and recorded by the Arctic Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra with Henning as soloist, the work was composed as a musical counterpart to a story specially written by world-famous author Jostein Gaarder, and has been hailed as “a fascinating composition to return to over and over again” (MusicWeb International). In 2017, Henning composed a violin/piano version of Equinox, which was premiered in Norway in 2018 with pianist Clare Hammond and Jostein Gaarder narrating.

Born in Oslo in 1973, Henning studied with Camilla Wicks and Emanuel Hurwitz. He is a recipient of the Grieg Prize, the Ole Bull Prize and the Sibelius Prize. Henning Kraggerud plays on a 1744 Guarneri del Gesù, provided by Dextra Musica AS.

Program
Amy Beach (1867-1944) Romance Op. 23
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor Op. 45
Henning Kraggerud (b.1973) Romantartica (UK première)

Monday, January 10, 2022
Live stream starts at 8:00am EST
The video will be available on demand for 30 days after the date of the broadcast.

To enjoy this concert visit: www.wigmore-hall.org.uk