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Lise Davidsen's Ariadne and Sara Hershkowitz' Zerbinetta shine in the Arctic Philharmonic's slightly lacklustre Ariadne auf Naxos

The repertoire in Anne Sofie von Otter’s recital in Bodø Cathedral this Saturday was truly a mixed bag. Ranging 350-odd years, from the 1650s all the way up until the very present day, spanning four countries and as many languages, and joined by two accompanists – Mats Bergström and Svante Henryson – there was really no unifying theme to the recital.

When Haydn’s Die Schöpfung (“The Creation”) had its public première in 1799, the forces were nothing less than gigantic; the orchestra numbered 120 people and the choir 60, considerable forces even today. The forces in use on Thursday’s performance were perhaps not of the same size, an orchestra of about 70, and a choir of 26.

The north-Norwegian town of Bodø has a special relationship with trains. Bodø is the last station on the Norwegian rail system, and the construction of the railway that goes between the towns of Trondheim and Bodø is one of the most gruesome stories in modern Norwegian history.

When I heard one of the main concerts of the Nordland Music Festival was going to be the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra playing Vivaldi’s violin concerto cycle The Four Seasons with Henning Kraggerud as soloist, I must admit I was rather disappointed.

When naming a recital programme for two composers, say “Biber and Bach”, it is usually a good idea to actually include both composers on said recital programme. Sunday’s recital with Georg Kallweit and Benjamin Bayl of the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin apparently didn’t get the memo, and only played music by one of the announced composers: Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704).

It’s not every day that a world-class Baroque orchestra comes to small towns in the north of Norway. Then again, the Nordland Music Festival doesn’t happen every day. But maybe we should back up a bit. The Nordland Music Festival is a yearly festival held in the north-Norwegian town of Bodø.