Leif Ove visited us in 2021, but that version was scaled back because of the pandemic. We haven’t heard him in full flight since 2015, and for both parties, that’s too long to be apart.

He is now entering his ‘grand old man’ phase, as assured as ever and with the same precision and elegance as always. In 2027, it will be 40 years since his debut in the University of Oslo’s Aula.

Over the past few years, he has championed Norwegian music through a wonderful collaboration with our festival favourite Marius Neset and a triumphant album of Geirr Tveitt’s music. Both albums deserve to be heard from start to finish.

We welcome Leif Ove back and especially look forward to hearing our former artistic director play alongside our current one, Tine Thing Helseth. It promises to be a ‘you had to be there’ moment.