There is a palpable air of excitement around Henning Kraggerud’s return to perform with the Irish Chamber Orchestra at University Concert Hall next Thursday March 7. (7.30pm)
Kraggerud will play his own arrangement of Bach’s brilliant Goldberg Variations, an extraordinary work made up of 30 variations, starting with a single ‘Aria’. Having transformed the music over the course of an hour, using different time signatures, textures, and harmonies, the beautiful first aria returns, with a completely different feel from the first hearing. Once the listener has heard the tune develop in unimaginable ways, the simplicity of the original music is breath-taking.
Nordic-born Kraggerud, is a revered violinist across Europe and paving his way as an equally successful composer. His arrangement of The Goldberg Variations with Bernt Simen Lund harbours authentic features. A greater expressive aura and narrative gives this fabulous work more accessibility. A tender spirit runs through the works as Kraggerud engages with his audience through words and performance, as only he can.
