Cast information

HELSING FRÅ OPERASJEFEN

Kjære vener,

Det er ei stor gleda å endeleg kunna ynskja dykk alle velkomen til prøvestart på Asle og Alida, med libretto av vår kjære nobelprisvinnar Jon Fosse, tufta på hans eigen Trilogi, og med musikk av vår danske ven Bent Sørensen.

Aldri har eg kjent på eit lenger musikalsk svangerskap – det kjennest som ei æve sidan eg i 2019 tok ein kaffi med Jon på «Kaffistova», for å drøfta ideen om at me skulle få tinga og produsera ein heilt ny opera med hans ord.

Etter ei stund fekk me med oss Bent, og fylgjeleg var det ikkje vanskeleg å få Det Kongelige Teater i København til å vera med på ein samproduksjon. Og no står me her, og ser fram til urframføring og ytterlegare 3 framsyningar i Bergen, og dernest 4 påfylgjande framsyningar i København, litt seinare i vår.

Ekstra varmt velkomen til vår svenske regissør, Sofia Jupither, og hennar team – samt min gamle ven og kollega Johannes Gustavsson, som skal dirigera operaen her i Bergen.

Då me vidare i vårt strålande cast har både, norske, danske og svenske songarar, kan me med stor tyngde seia at dette vert eit samnordisk prosjekt.

For dei av dykk som ikkje har vore i Bergen før, så er det verdt å setja av litt tid til å sjå seg om i den relativt intime byen, kanskje gå vidda frå Ulriken til Fløyen, eller berre ein snartur med Fløibanen, vitja fiskemarknaden, museumskomplekset KODE, eller rett og slett ta ein tur til Edvard Grieg sin heim; Troldhaugen.

Onsdag den 5. mars arrangerer me forøvrig ein Operapub på Kulturhuset – det er alltid ekstra stas for vårt trufaste publikum når nokre av dei gjestande solistane ynskjer å bidra med ein liten arie.

Eg ser fram til å sjå dykk snart – varm helsing frå Bergen

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
Please click on the link to see the Production Schedule The schedule is subject to change. Please contact Mia Julie Wiland (miajulie@bno.no) if you have any questions.

ARTISTIC TEAM
Bent Sørensen / Music
Jon Fosse / Libretto
based on The Trilogy (Trilogien) by Jon Fosse

Johannes Gustavsson / Conductor
Sofia Adrian Jupither / Stage director
Erlend Birkeland / Set designer
Maria Geber / Costume designer
Ellen Ruge / Lighting designer
Emi Stahl / Video designer
Håkon Matti Skrede / Chorus master

ON STAGE
Wiktor Sundqvist / Asle
Louise McClelland Jacobsen / Alida
Johannes Weisser / The older man
Randi Stene / The older woman
Christina Jønsi / The younger woman
Frank Kjosås / Åsleik
Alma Kraggerud / Fiddle player

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Edvard Grieg Choir

COVER
Jostein Fahre / Cover Asle
Eldrid Gorset / Cover Alida

BACKSTAGE
Odd Halstensen / Production Director (On leave from March 1st)
Mia Julie Wiland / Production Manager
Sara Eeg Jonasmo / Stage Manager
Cathrine Ahlsen / Head of Costume
Ingrid Stasi Skjold / Head of Wig and Make-up
Jon Inge Keskitalo / Head of Stage
Barbro Worren / Head of Props
Ivar Skjørestad / Lights

CONTACT DETAILS BNO STAFF
All contact emails and phone numbers to BNO staff can be found here (link)

PERFORMANCE INFO
World premiere in Grieghallen in Bergen Saturday 29 March 2025
Also performed 31 March, 2 and 4 April

Performed in Norwegian, surtitles in Norwegian and English
Duration: Approx. 2 hours and 15 minutes including 30 minutes interval after act 1

A new production by Bergen National Opera, in collaboration with the Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater) in Copenhagen.
Presented by Bergen National Opera in collaboration with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Edvard Grieg Choirs

After the world premiere here in Bergen, Asle and Alida will be performed in Copenhagen in May and June 2025

PRACTICAL

Miljøfyrtårn / ECO Lighthouse
BNO is certified Miljøfyrtårn/ ECO Lighthouse since 2021. We focus on how we can make more environmentally friendly choices every day and you can help. Please choose public transport to work, bring your own water bottle, coffee mug, choose trademark products, recycle waste, clean up after you and create a nice work environment

Code Of Conduct
Please see our code of conduct here: Code of conduct

Canteen
The canteen is located on the 4th floor in Grieghallen. It's open during the Orchestra's rehearsal. With the Lunch Deal (50 NOK a day) we offer warm lunch, sandwiches to go, coffee and tea. If you like to join the lunch deal, we kindly ask you to sign up before you arrive by sending an email to Mia Julie (miajulie@bno.no) The canteen does not accept cash or credit card. This lunch deal is for artist and technical personal employed by BNO. NB! First week of rehearsals the orchestra has the week off and the canteen is closed.

Grieghallen
Grieghallen is a multi purpose venue and BNO only have access to the rooms that are in the Production Schedule. Shared dressing rooms will be assigned after get-in on stage.

Address
Our venue, rehearsal studio and costume fittings are located in Grieghallen

• Edvard Griegs plass 1, 5015 BERGEN

Pictures of the venue and information can be found on their website: www.grieghallen.no

PRESS AND MEDIA

Contact persons
Ole Klemsdal / Head of Communication / Send email / +47 911 01 791
Monika / Head of e-commerce / Send email / +47 92 47 0001

Press
There may be journalists from the written press present at the rehearsals during the whole rehearsal period. There will be information about this beforehand. Any media coverage involving sound recording will be approved by the involved artists and singers beforehand.

Photo
Monika from Bergen National Opera's communications department will be recording and taking photos throughout the production for use in our social media channels.

Film
We will be recording parts of the rehearsals for documentation and social media teasers.

Tickets
For members of the production, both on stage and backstage, please use this link for discounted tickets to friends and family: https://tix.no/nb/bno/specialo...

PLANNING YOUR STAY IN NORWAY

Weather
Norwegians love to talk about the weather! It changes from day to day, hour to hour, and we recommend bring clothes for both a rainy day as well as sunshine.

Money
The standard way of paying is by credit card or bank card. Few locals pay with cash - even for a packet of chewing gum.
As for general shopping, all but kiosks and tourists shops are closed on Sundays. Restaurants, cafés and bars are open all week. If you're looking for a Sunday open supermarket we recommend Bunnpris, Torggaten 6, and/or Nygårdsgaten 89.

For things to do in Bergen, check out Visitnorway.com

Premiere Party- what to wear
Anything and everything is welcomed. Most of us wear casual chic.

DINING IN BERGEN
Here are some tips on where to get discounts when eating out, just remember to bring your BNO card to the below restaurants and cafés and present it when you place your order:

Zen Café: 10% with purchase over NOK 100
Café Opera: 10% Address: Engen 18, 5011 Bergen
Pingvinen: 10% - Address: Vaskerelven 14, 5014 Bergen

FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE CITY CENTRE (FOR OUR PRODUCTIONS IN GRIEGHALLEN, BERGEN)
There are several efficient and easy alternatives for how to get from Bergen Airport Flesland to Bergen city center. Bergen has good public transport services with both the Airport Bus Flybussen and the City Light Rail (called Bybanen in Norwegian), as well as taxis going between the airport and the city center.

If you have suitcase or heavy bags we would recommend the Airports bus. We recommend checking the www.entur.no for information on which transportation is available at the time of arrival at Bergen Lufthavn.

• Bergen City Light rail (Bybanen) The cheapest way to get from Bergen Airport Flesland to Bergen city center is to go by the City Light Rail (Bybanen). It takes about 45 minutes from the Airport to Bergen city center and it costs only NOK 49 for an adult. The ticket needs to be purchased in advance either online at www.skyss.no/en/ or in their app Skyss ticket app. From the airport to the city center is 1 zone.

  Check out www.skyss.no for more information. The City Light Rail starts right at the airport terminals lower deck and ends in the center of Bergen. The closest stop to Grieghallen, Hotel Terminus and Hotel Zander K is called Nonneseter.
  

• Airport bus (Flybussen) A faster way to reach Bergen city center is by the Airport Bus (Flybussen), which only takes 33 minutes. The bus costs NOK 169 if you buy the tickets in advance online at www.flybussen.no The bus has several stops in Bergen city center and the closest stop to Grieghallen, Grand Hotel Terminus and Hotel Zander K is Bergen Busstasjon. You can find the bus just outside the Flesland arrival terminal. All stops with the Airport bus are announced.
• Taxi The most direct way to get to your hotel is to take a taxi. A taxi from Bergen Airport Flesland to Bergen city center costs around NOK 580/630, but prices vary according to the time of day and the number of passengers. The taxis are parked just outside the arrival terminal. They prefer bank card (BankAxept, Visa and MasterCard) as payment, but you could also pay in cash (NOK).

ANY QUESTIONS?
Please don't hesitate to contact us.

If you have any question regarding artistic program, music and scores, please contact Nicolai@bno.no

Any other question please contact miajulie@bno.no

CONTACT INFO
Bergen Nasjonale Opera
Edvard Griegs plass 1
5015 BERGEN
NORWAY
+47 55 21 61 20
info@bno.no