Over 100% Increase in Repertoire for Hardanger Fiddle and Orchestra – New Concertos Featuring Ragnhild Hemsing
Ragnhild Hemsing, the Hardanger fiddle soloist with one foot in folk music and the other in classical music, has long aspired to expand the repertoire for Hardanger fiddle and orchestra. Now, it’s happening! Over the next four years, four entirely new works featuring the Hardanger fiddle as the solo instrument will premiere. It has been 60 years since the last concerto for Hardanger fiddle and orchestra was composed. Until now, the repertoire consisted only of two Hardanger fiddle concertos by Geirr Tveitt and the stage music for Fossegrimen by Johan Halvorsen.
Ragnhild Hemsing has commissioned four new concertos, three of which are for full symphony orchestra and Hardanger fiddle, while one is for chamber orchestra and Hardanger fiddle. In developing this new solo repertoire, Hemsing places great importance on collaborating with contemporary composers who write music in diverse styles. The composers Kim André Arnesen, Ørjan Matre, Gordon Hamilton, and Agnes Ida Pettersen each bring unique approaches to composition, collectively reflecting the diversity and spirit of 2025.
Hemsing performs on Ole Bull’s historic Hardanger fiddle, the “Jordalsfela,” which she is fortunate to borrow from Dextra Musica. By using Ole Bull’s instrument both in traditional ways and in entirely new contexts, her goal is to connect with the present day and musically express both the richness of tradition and the realities of our contemporary world.
The new works will premiere one after the other. First up is a piece by Trondheim-based composer Kim André Arnesen. His concerto will debut at the inauguration of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra’s new chief conductor, Adam Hickox, on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at Olavshallen. It will also be performed by the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra under conductor Ingar Bergby on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Arnesen, widely known for his successful choral and sacred music compositions, brings his fascination with the rhythmic and dance-like qualities of the Hardanger fiddle tradition into this work. However, he approaches the tradition playfully, unfiltered by strict authenticity.
– "When I started writing for Ragnhild Hemsing and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, I first studied Geirr Tveitt’s score for the Three Fjords concerto for Hardanger fiddle and orchestra. Then I sat down and improvised at the piano for weeks, incorporating elements from various musical genres," says Arnesen. As a composer, he strives to free himself from conventions, though his work carries a certain gravity. "I believe our freedom and democracy are at stake in our time. I am also fascinated by the role the Hardanger fiddle has played throughout history, as an instrument that was at times ostracized and banned from concert halls."
Arnesen’s work will feature three movements and two interludes, with a total runtime of approximately 20 minutes.
The premieres of the other works are scheduled as follows:
- Gordon Hamilton: World premiere with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, January 2026
- Ørjan Matre: World premiere with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, October 1 and 2, 2026
- Agnes Ida Pettersen: World premiere with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, September 2026