bjarte eike + barokksolistene
7 december 2024 / 3.30pm + 8pm / village underground, london
100% funded (sold out)
Devised by Bjarte Eike and performed by Barokksolistene, The Alehouse Sessions recreate the sounds and the atmosphere of an English 17th century tavern
2pm: early set doors open
3.30pm: early set starts
6.30pm: late set doors open
8pm: late set starts
what are noisenights?
noisenights are our vision for the future of classical music: crowdfunded gigs taking world-leading musicians to iconic independent venues.
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At the centre of every noisenight is a one-hour classical set. We platform international soloists and ensembles while also giving opportunities to outstanding new artists. All noisenights take place in gig venues where you get to experience classical music up close.
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Please note that due to the venue's license, this noisenight is strictly 16+ (all under 18s must be accompanied by an adult).
the venue:
Village Underground started life in 2006 with the aim of building affordable studios for creative people struggling to get a foothold in London.
One of the few remaining independent venues in East London, the cultural hub is a renovated turn-of-the-century warehouse and assortment of shipping containers, sitting under the four iconic recycled Jubilee line trains which are still home to artist studios and creative spaces just as they were in 2006.
the music:
The Alehouse Sessions – curated and devised by Bjarte Eike – is an ever changing and evolving insight into the music of the English 17th century tavern. It gives audiences a window into this tumultuous period through Purcell overtures, English sea shanties, and Scandinavian folk songs thrown in for good measure.
This diversion from the traditional concert model is what is at the heart of the Sessions. Through the medium of these well-loved tunes, a story of the period is interwoven into the music making; creating a unique environment between audience and performer. Using their own arrangement of the tunes, these ‘Alehouse Boys’ combine this unique format with humour, an unrivalled virtuosity and flare for improvisation.
bjarte eike:
Baroque violinist Bjarte Eike pushes boundaries in classical music, constantly looking for new projects in the borderland of genres and is reaching out to new audiences with his infectious playing and style.
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As the artistic director of Barokksolistene, he has created new and innovative concepts such as "The Alehouse Sessions"; exploring 17th century music from the pubs and alehouses in England, "The Early Joke"; a musical travel through music history, exploring different aspects on humour and music and "The Image of Melancholy"; dealing with the sad songs and emotions through renaissance, folk and experimental music.
As a freelance violinist he explores alternative ways of approaching classical music. Although rooted in Historically Informed Performance practice he strives to include other artistic aspects in his performances, using visual arts, dance, storytelling and improvisation. Major collaborations include Handel’s Alcina at the Norwegian National Opera, Vespertine with choreographer Liam Scarlett, a staged Messiah with Netia Jones for Bergen National Opera at the Bergen International Festival and recordings and concerts with jazz pianist Jon Balke, including as part of the Siwan project which explores the links between North African Arabic, Andalusian and baroque music.
This broad, unifying approach to music, as well as a desire to curate exhilarating new experiences for audiences has led to him being invited to be Artist-in-Residence at festivals for early music, classical music, folk music, experimental music and jazz and as a conductor he is increasingly in demand for play-direct engagements with major symphony orchestras.
Eike received his training from the Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway and with Richard Gwilt in London, and has been Artist in residence at festivals for early music, classical music, folk music, experimental music and jazz. He has participated in a large number of recordings and is currently teaching baroque violin at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and as a guest-teacher at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory in Copenhagen.
barokksolistene:
Founded and led by Norwegian violinist Bjarte Eike in 2005, Barokksolistene is now recognised as one of the world’s most dynamic and exciting groups working in the field of historically informed performance, fusing virtuoso musicianship with flawless ensemble playing.
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Constantly striving to reach out to new audiences, their passion to engage with folk and experimental music, improvisation, visual arts, dance and story-telling has led them to create unique concert experiences which play to sold-out audiences worldwide.
Nowhere is this more evident than in their signature project “The Alehouse Sessions”. Curated and devised by Bjarte Eike, this project is an ever-changing and evolving look into the music of the English 17th century tavern, with the group diverting away from the traditional concert model, to create an evening that is “innately theatrical, genre bending and suffused with great musicianship” (The Strad).
An album of the project was released on Rubicon Classics in 2017 and immediately made the UK top 10 classical charts. Since then Barokksolistene has toured the project throughout the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, Scandinavia, the US and Ireland, and it continues to return season after season, each time with new ideas. In 2018 the album received the Opusklassik Award in Germany. In 2023, BBC television premiered a film of the Alehouse sessions, directed by award-winning director Dominic Best.
“The Alehouse Sessions” continues to evolve and has engendered several related productions, not least “The Nordic Sessions” and productions for schools. “The Alehouse Sessions” won a Young Audiences Music Award (YAMawards 2022) in the category “Best Large Ensemble.
The latest evolution of this concept is “The Playhouse Sessions”, which follows the story of how musical life in London’s taverns continued after the Restoration, bringing more theatrical music into the mix with music by Purcell and settings of texts by Shakespeare. Barokksolistene’s album “The Playhouse Sessions” (Rubicon Classics, released September 2022) has garnered a wealth of enthusing reviews. “Purcell’s Playground” is a related programme, in which the focus is on the music of Henry Purcell and especially his fascinatingly varied “ground bass” compositions.
“The Image of Melancholy”, one of the group’s first major recordings, was released on BIS and explores the use of melancholy in music throughout the centuries. In the same month that the album was released it featured as Recording of the Week on Danish Radio, going on to win the “International Recording of the Year” at the Danish P2 Prisen Award.
On stage, Barokksolistene’s collaborations have found them working with artists as diverse as choreographer Liam Scarlett on his ballet Vespertine and Norwegian jazz musician Jon Balke, whose Siwan project explores the links between North African Arabic, Andalusian and baroque music. Further concerts have included performances of the Malcom Bruno reconstruction of Bach’s St Mark Passion and a series of major opera productions, including a staged Messiah with Netia Jones for Bergen National Opera at the Bergen International Festival and Handel’s Alcina for Den Norske Opera in Oslo. In 2019 they returned there for a new production of Dido and Aeneas. Directed from the violin by Bjarte Eike, the group appeared on stage as both actors and musicians.
Also in 2019 Barokksolistene co-produced Shakespeare’s A Midsummernight’s Dream at Haugesund Teater, with the Alehouse Boys acting as the court orchestra and the elf pack. The production got rave reviews from the Norwegian media – NRK’s (Norwegian National Broadcasting) reviewer wrote: “Give Bjarte Eike the opportunity, and he’ll make life a song”.
Bjarte Eike and Barokksolistene are based in Norway and were established in 2005. They are very grateful to receive support from the government via Kulturrådet and the community of Norway as proud ambassadors of Norwegian culture.
early set (doors open at 2pm):
late set (doors open at 6.30pm):
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