On March 29, 2025, Bergen National Opera will premiere the new opera Asle og Alida by Bent Sørensen and Jon Fosse.
Co-commissioned by the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Asle og Alida tells the love story of a young couple travelling to the town of Bjørgvin, trying to build a life for themselves and the child they are expecting.
Jon Fosse, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature, has based the libretto on his powerful books Trilogy (2007–2014) which follows the journey of Asle and Alida as they navigate love, loss and fate, in Fosse’s characteristic poetic style.
Bent Sørensen won the Grawemeyer Award in 2018 for his triple concerto L’isola della Città (The Island in the City). He has previously composed several dramatic works, including Under himlen (2003) for the Royal Danish Theatre.
Bent Sørensen says:
For me, Asle og Alida is an opera about the three great biblical concepts: faith, hope, and love—and, above all, the fusion of these three. Faith in hope, hope for love, and, as always, the greatest of these is love.
In Asle and Alida’s case, love transcends death—death does not part them. The music seeks to capture both the beauty and the dread inherent in the struggle for love.
Performance Details
Directed by Sofia Adrian Jupither, with set designs by Erlend Birkeland.
World Premiere
March 29 and 31; April 2 and 4, 2025 (Bergen, Norway)
Bergen National Opera
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra; Edvard Grieg Choir
Johannes Gustavsson, conductor
Danish Premiere
May 21, 23 and 31; June, 6, 2025 (Copenhagen, Denmark)
The Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Orchestra; Royal Danish Opera Chorus
Eivind Gullberg Jensen, conductor
