Northern Lights - Melbourne

Fire, ice and breathtaking virtuosity.

Fearless Norwegian violin virtuoso Johan Dalene makes his Australian debut with much-loved pianist Jennifer Marten-Smith, playing Ravel, Grieg, Rautavaara and a new commission from dynamic young composer Jack Frerer.

Swedish-Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene grabbed the world’s attention when he won the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Competition in 2019, and he has just been named Artist-in-Residence with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he will play concertos by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Nielsen in their 2025 season.

Dalene brings works which are at once imbued with romance and shot through with virtuosity. Ravel’s Tzigane is a spectacular showpiece for violin and piano, powered by Romani fire and Hungarian rhythms. Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 explodes with joy, while Grieg’s Sonata No. 2 battles a Nordic chill with Norwegian folk dances. Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir d’un lieu cher aches with nostalgia and Lili Boulanger’s D'un matin de printemps is full of quiet resilience, while Rautavaara’s gorgeous Notturno conjures up a vast, wintery landscape.

Finally, Musica Viva Australia presents the world premiere of a new work commissioned for Dalene and Marten-Smith from Jack Frerer, the young Australian composer whose Spiral Sequences dazzled audiences in 2024.