This Saturday, Oslo Sinfonietta marks its 40th anniversary with a full-day celebration of contemporary music, including the world premiere of A London Symphony by Asbjørn Schaathun.
Asbjørn Schaathun has long been a key figure in Nordic contemporary music. The Norwegian composer founded Oslo Sinfonietta, Norway’s oldest running contemporary ensemble which has helped to shape innovative musical expression in the region since 1986.
A London Symphony is Schaathun's personal tribute to the city of his student days. He writes:
In a split vision: back in London in 1985, I was a student at the Royal College of Music in the mysterious big city - nightly dreams, shades, faded memories, and unknown people in hordes. However, also about trying to analyze a complex chord, in a far corner in the laboratory of the then acoustical department of the London South Bank University, I see patterns in the small green window of the measuring instrument, somewhat secretly illustrating my chord in vain. The patterns in the instrument’s window disappear. And so do the nightly dreams of unheard music that is impossible to grasp. Young dreams. The future is an endless opportunity.
The premiere performance is conducted by artistic director Christian Eggen and takes place at the Henie Onstad Art Centre in Høvikodden, the very place where the Oslo Sinfonietta played its first concerts in the 1980s.
Performance details
Saturday 30 May 2026
Oslo Sinfonietta
Christian Eggen, conductor
Henie Onstad Art Centre, Høvikodden, Norway
More info and tickets
