Northern Lights

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A SEVEN-COURSE BANQUET OF EXQUISITE MUSIC

— CITY NEWS

Fearless Swedish-Norwegian violin virtuoso Johan Dalene makes his Australian debut with eloquent pianist Jennifer Marten-Smith, playing Ravel, Grieg, Rautavaara and a new commission from dynamic young composer Jack Frerer.

2025 Concert Season

Concerts in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. Tickets from $65, or $49 for under 40s and $20 student rush.

Is Johan Dalene the greatest violinist to have emerged from Sweden for generations? Critics think so, praising his 'consistently brilliant interpretations' and 'rich deep tones' (The Strad). But hear for yourself when he makes his Australian debut with pianist Jennifer Marten-Smith for Musica Viva Australia.

He’s brilliant – that goes without saying when you are a Carl Nielsen International Competition winner. But he’s much more than brilliant. Dalene has a unique presence on the stage, an elegant straightforwardness that has led Diapason Magazine to say he is ‘not just a virtuoso like many others, he is a voice’.

Armed with his 1795 ‘Duke of Cambridge’ Stradivarius violin, the 24-year-old takes up the challenge of the craziest violin work ever. Written for a Hungarian virtuoso and packed with Romani fire, Ravel’s Tzigane takes the violin to the extremes of the possible. Plus, drift away with Grieg, Tchaikovsky and the atmospheric Nocturne by Finnish composer Rautavaara.

"Dalene’s tempestuous virtuosity shone."

— Limelight

"A union of shared passion and glowing respect between two masters of their craft."

— Beat Magazine

"This performance coalesces the combined natural and forceful talent of the music and the musicians."

— Stage Whispers

Listen to the music before you witness Northern Lights live.

JOHAN DALENE violin
JENNIFER MARTEN-SMITH piano

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 30 No. 3
Jack FRERER Tilted Scales (2025)*
TCHAIKOVSKY Souvenir d’un lieu cher
GRIEG Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 13
BOULANGER D’un matin de printemps
RAUTAVAARA Nocturne
RAVEL Tzigane

*World premiere performance. Commissioned for Musica Viva Australia by Richard Wilkins.

Program length: approx. 120 minutes (with interval)

JACK FRERER

Described as ‘exciting … combining boom-crash orchestration with woozy portamenti and jazz elegance’ by The New York Times, the music of Australian composer Jack Frerer has been commissioned and performed by the New York City Ballet, the Albany, Nashville, Sarasota and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras, the Tanglewood Music Center, and the wind ensembles of UT Austin, UNT and Michigan, among others. He currently resides in New York City and serves on the faculty of Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music, and holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music where he studied with John Corigliano, Chris Theofanidis, David Lang, Aaron Jay Kernis and Martin Bresnick.

Special thanks to our Ensemble Patrons Bruce and Charmaine Cameron for their generous support of this tour.

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