"Dickie Dick Dickens" a new musical comedy by Øystein Wiik, Inger Schjoldager and Gisle Kverndokk is having its world premiere 13. June, at The Bårdar Academy in Oslo. The graduate students of Bårdar International, are performing. The production is directed by Teodor Janson, Choreography by Håkon Sigernes, Sets and Costumes by Rebecca Wathle and Music direction by Trond Lindheim.

The musical is based on the popular radio series "Dickie Dick Dickens" by Rolf and Alexandra Becker, that was a huge sucess on Norwegian radio in the 1950s and -60s. The story is about the most dangerous man in Chicago, Dickie Dick Dickens, a pick-pocket, his girfriend the blond bombshell Effie Marconi, and the other crazy characters in the Chicago underworld. The musical is inspired by the musical comedies of the 1920's; jazz, ragtime, charleston, tap dance and hilarious comedy!

The 5 performances are  13. through 17. June at The Bårdar Academy, Rosenkrantz' gate 22, in Oslo.

The world reknown Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth has founded a new chamber music festival in Oslo, Tine@Munch at the Munch Museum. The opening concert, Friday June 7.th at 19.00, takes place under Munch's "Alma Mater" and his draft for "The Sun", in the large hall at The Munch Museum, and features Tine Thing Helseth, Leif Ove Andsnes, Truls Mørk, Charlie Siem, Nicola Benedetti, Kathryn Stott og Ingrid Bjørnov.

At the opening concert, a new work by Gisle Kverndokk is peformed; "Three Pictures" a suite in 3 movements for trumpet, violin and piano. The piece is inspired by Edvard Munch’s paintings from his time as a student in France around 1890.

http://www.tineatmunch.com/en/the-program/item/fredag-07-juni-19-00

About "Three Pictures" by Gisle Kverndokk:
The first movement, «Rue Lafayette» is a painting of a street in Paris. Munch is here working with perspectives as an effective means to create spaces filled with tension, and this have inspired my disposition of the musical material. In the picture a man is standing on a balcony, looking down on the life of the street below, represented by small dots of colours. The painting is almost pointillistic, where all the coloured dots are merged by the eyes that are watching. I have tried to do the same in the music, where the short notes, the small, fast motifs together create a harmonic whole. I envision that the man on the balcony sees more and more people; that the street gradually comes to life. Finally I focus on the man alone, up there, in a cadenza for solo trumpet.

The second movement, “Night in St. Cloud”, is a nocturne, a late night atmosphere. Munch had moved out to this suburb of Paris, around Christmas 1889. The picture shows a man in a top hat, in a dark room. Outside we see the Seine, with a lonely boat. The window casts shadows into the room. I have made a melodic theme that goes through several variations, with different shadowing, different light and focus. It ends with a light and lyrical cadenza for violin solo.

The third movement, “At the roulette table in Monte Carlo”, is a fast, energetic movement. Munch had travelled to Nice in 1891, and writes in his diaries about how he became more and more fascinated by the casinos of Monte Carlo. Based on these diary-entries I envision how Munch is very restless, he cannot concentrate on his work, he runs for the train to Monte Carlo, studies the gambling cards, and enters the hall. Or the gambling-hell, as he calls it. The atmosphere there is feverish. He describes it as a place where the devil has a gathering, a place where a contagious poison is spread. He cannot recognise himself.  Finally it is announced; «Faite le jeu, messieurs!», and the gambling begins. The movement is an intense devil’s dance, beginning with a solo cadenza for piano.