Solistkoret & conductor Alejandro Pance

German protest piece and Argentinian rhythms

This spring the talented conductor Alejandro Pance will conduct The Norwegian Soloists' Choir in his final exam at the Norwegian Academy of Music. The program consists of Argentinian folk music and Hanz Werner Henze's protest piece Orpheus behind the wire.

Freedom though art

The life and music of Hans Werner Henze (1926-2012) was deeply marked by fascism and war. To escape the changing political climate in his native Germany, and being persecuted because of his leftist political ideas he fled to Italy in 1953.

He writes Orpheus behind the wire in 1981-83 as a symbol of freedom through art, based on texts from the British poet and playwright Edward Bond. The protest piece stands in support of persecuted artists, victims of the Argentine military government, with flowing ballet-like music of a refined greek elegance. The myth of Orpheus and Euridice is retold with a 20th-century twist.

Argentinian folk music

Argentinian folk music might not share the popularity as the tango, but that does not make it less beautiful. Instead of the bustling city of Buenos Aires we visit the Pampa, the endless plains extending across Argentina where the Gaucho’s found their home.

These pieces paint the love for the countryside, the freedom of the starry nights and the longing for a place far away. The music of some the leading Argentinian songwriters like Tito Francia (1926-2004) and Carlos Gardel (1890-1935) will be performed in gorgeous arrangements, ranging from tonada, zamba, vals and last but not least, tango.