Ticket presales are off to a good start. Festival tickets are available both at the Greifswald Information Office on the market square and on the online ticket shop MVTICKET. This time, the patronage will be shared between Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Minister-President Manuela Schwesig and Heidy Purga, Minister of Culture of Estonia, this year’s patron country. Numerous guests of honour, including politicians, public figures and diplomats, have announced that they will be present at the opening night on 3 May at the event venue Stadthalle Greifswald. Marika Linntam, the Estonian Ambassador to Germany, will formally open the festival. This will be her first visit to MV.
Nordischer Klang has invited several deeply passionate Estonian sounds and voices: the festival’s opening act on 3 May will be an internationally renowned queen of soul: Rita Ray is probably the most popular Estonian pop artist in Germany. Entirely without instruments, a cappella-group Greip will unfold their rich sound and present a stylistic firework of original compositions, Estonian folk adaptations, and arrangements of well-known hits. Singer/songwriter Haldi’s dreamy melodies are guaranteed to enchant especially younger members of the audience. Following her brilliant breakthrough in Estonia, she is certain to conquer international stages, starting with Greifswald. The similarly young Rahel Talts Quartet not only has an international line-up – its four members are also internationally acclaimed. Their East Asia tour, on which they thrilled audiences with swinging and modern sounds and a pulsating and cheerful jazz fusion, has just come to an end. The Estonian Sinfonietta’s concert promises to be an especially delightful part of this year’s festival programme. The ensemble has already performed at several of the world’s most famous venues. According to Festival Director Marko Pantermöller, they are the act that required the longest amount of preparation for this year’s festival. “Could there be a more fitting venue for a concert entitled ‘Luminosities’ than Greifswald’s St Nikolai Cathedral with its radiant new windows?” rejoices Prof. Pantermöller. The programme will feature a wide variety of Estonian compositions, including a world premiere of a new arrangement.
Accompanied by bass and drums, young jazz and soul singer, pianist and composer Maja Mannila (FIN) willshare her own songs with us. With her unique combination of R&B, soul, jazz, and gospel music, she makes the hearts of all music lovers beat faster. With a wink of the eye and recently composed pieces, the quartet YrrY (N/USA) whisks you away to the world of experimental music, while the band Kalaha (DK) together with Turkish singer Hilal Kaya (DK/TR) introduce Greifswald to sweat-inducing global grooves. A lively mix of swing and tango by Tjango! (FIN) and the intoxicating folktronica of the duo Symbio (S) create a colourful variety of soundscapes. Myrhauk (N) visit us from Greifswald’s Norwegian twin town Hamar, having spontaneously relocated the release party of their debut album – with their take on Americana with a Hedmark dialect – to our festival town by the bay, a music location that is also known in Norway. They use their own lyrics and a sense of nostalgia for the 60s and 70s, which the band members remember from growing up in the country, to reflect on life’s ups and downs. The synth pop of Svømmebasseng (N) adds a vivacious 80s disco feeling to the festival’s closing night. Cumbian Colors (DK/COL/CL) will also join in the celebrations. According to Artistic Director Frithjof Strauß, their “South American rhythms will kick off a tropical dance party unlike anything ever experienced before at our festival”.
Nordischer Klang 2024 will also dedicate a series of specific highlights to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of world-renowned, Greifswald-born painter Caspar David Friedrich. In addition to two concerts performed by the music schools of Greifswald’s Baltic partner towns, the programme also includes presentations and guided tours. A particularly exciting highlight will be the premiere of “Oh, Caspar!”, an elaborate, painting-inspired, literary-musical self-production.
The festival will be enriched by a versatile programme for children under the label “Kinderklang” (Eng. “Children’s Sound”). Learn more at www.nordischerklang.de/programm [de]
Take a look at the programme for further information on the festival and individual events. It will be available from April onwards at the region’s tourist information centres, cultural centres, music schools and libraries. Information on the specific programme, venues and ticket sales can also be found online at www.nordischerklang.de [de] as well as on the festival’s social media accounts on Facebook [de], Instagram [de], and Twitter [de], the YouTube channel [de] and in the newsletter. If you want to get an impression of what is in store at the upcoming concerts, check out the festival’s very own Spotify channel. Public broadcaster NDR is once again accompanying and supporting the festival as a media partner.
Source
Press release by Nordischer Klang e.V.
Contact
Mariana Yaremchyshyna (PR)
presse-nokluni-greifswaldde
Tel.: +49 3834 420 3616
www.nordischerklang.de [de]