Yesterday, Norsk Hydro celebrated their centennial anniversary in Frogner park with two free performances: the Lord of the Rings symphony and a-ha. My mother performed the Lord of the Rings symphony in Richmond a couple of months ago and said it was fantastic. Rebekah and I aren't fans of a-ha, but we had definite interest in the symphony performance. Ian, Allan, Rebekah, and I decided to meet up before the concert and sit together.
We were a bit late getting there because we stopped by the post office to pick up a package. I didn't want to be even more late, so we brought the package to the show with us. Fortunately, Ian was also late. He arrived, informed us of his dire need for food, and went to get said food. By this point, people were streaming through the gates to the park. I've never seen the park so busy. I pointed out a couple of people wearing medievalesk outfits to Rebekah, wondering what they were dressing up for. Rebekah giggled and said "Lord of the Rings...." Another co-worker, Brian, appeared among the throngs and we chatted for a bit before Ian emerged from the small restaurant at the entrance to the park. Eivind, another co-worker joined us. There was still no sign of Allan, but the concert was about to begin, so we went to find a seat.
We arrived near the stage just as the music began. The area was packed with people standing along the tree line and along paths that had formed between groups of people sitting. We walked through the tree line, pushed through a line of standing people, and found a spot among the sitters. I sat wedged between our package and my backpack on one side and Rebekah in a beach chair on the other. Ian initially sat behind us and Brian sat with some other co-workers (Eivind and Sagar) to Rebekah's right.
The stage was opposite Vigeland's fountain, nested between two rows of trees. There were a couple dozen rows of seats directly in front of the stage with a large grassy area beyond. One large screen hung on each side of the stage and two more screens hung with speaker towers in the grassy area. In front of the trees on each side were large images from Norsk Hydro. I never quite caught the significance of them.
The screens switched between camera shots of the performers and black and white illustrations. The illustrations depicted scenes that occurred in the movie as the performers played music from the same scenes. The images helped us follow the storyline with the music. And what incredible music! There was no echo, just clear, crisp notes and flowing melodies. The symphony included the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oslo Bach Choir, Ensemble 96 and the Silver Boys, and soloists Sissel Kyrkjebø and Annbjørg Lien playing lyre, all conducted by Christian Eggen.
As we enjoyed music from the first movie, the sun shone brightly behind us. Many of the performers wore sunglasses, as they were facing into the sun. Ian said he wanted to go exploring and vanished. Rebekah enjoyed her chair and I lounged around on the soft, cool grass, leaning back on my elbows.
About an hour into the performance, Allan suddenly appeared. He said he was late due to traffic (the trams couldn't get anywhere) and showed off his new acquisition: Nintendogs. He had been systematically searching the crowd for us and recognized my t-shirt. Ian reappeared shortly thereafter, having visited the video booth to ask them to fix the aspect ratio on the screen nearest us. Clouds periodically covered the sun and groups around us deserted the show as music from the second movie began. Eivind got a call from his sister. Apparently, she asked him to wave so she could find him. She was sitting just ten feet away!
As the music for the third movie started, grey clouds rolled in above the venue. A slightly chilly breeze moved through the audience. During the penulimate movement, a rainbow appeared behind the stage. A short while later, light rain began to fall. I pulled on my jacket, Rebekah covered herself with a blanket, and we put an umbrella over our package. People around us scrambled to cover themselves with blankets, umbrellas, newspapers, chairs, and various pads they'd been sitting on. Allan joined many people as they ran for the trees. The rain grew heavier, but still we held on. I squatted, spreading my jacket around me and Rebekah stole the umbrella away from the package to cover herself.
Before the last song started, Rebekah and I retreated to the trees, leaving Ian and Eivind to enjoy the rain. Large drops fell from the leaves, but the shelter of the trees beat the driving rain out in the open. Sissel Kyrkjebø did a stunning rendition of "Into the West" and the remaining audience thanked her afterward with thunderous applause. Ian had vanished again, so Rebekah, Allan, and I set off toward the front gates. The rain let up as we walked. When we reached the bus stop in front of the park, Ian suddenly reappeared out of the crowd. Instead of braving the public transportation system, we decided to head to our apartment on foot for food and shelter.
I managed to grab three, thirty-second videos of Sissel Kyrkjebø performing "Gollum's Song" (one, two, three). I also snapped a couple pictures. Check them out in our gallery.
