Anne Sofie von Otter

Fronting a highly varied and Holiday Season’s-themed programme, Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter is poised for her inaugural performance at Bærum Kulturhus. The internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano has chosen a set of her personal Christmas favourites, including songs by Sting, Bernstein and Thad Jones as well as classical timeless works by Sibelius and Purcell. Add a selection of traditional Swedish Christmas carols and the audience is left with the perfect warm-up for the upcoming Holiday Season.

Accompaniment is provided by two highly qualified performers: guitarist Fabian Fredriksson and pianist Leif Kaner-Lindstrøm.

Boasting an unrivalled and multi award-winning discography, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter’s versatility has seen her work with legendary artists ranging from the late greats of Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado and Giuseppe Sinopoli to Elvis Costello, Brad Mehldau and Rufus Wainwright.

An ever-evolving repertoire has played a key role in sustaining Swedish-born von Otter’s international profile, from an early position as the superlative Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) of her generation, giving performances around the world, to her acclaimed creation of Leonora in the world premiere of Thomas Adès’ The Exterminating Angel at Salzburger Festspiele and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Recent highlights include Madame de Croissy (Dialogues des Carmélites) at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) in Christof Loy’s production at Bayerische Staatsoper, L’Opinion Publique (Orphée aux Enfers) at Salzburger Festspiele in Barrie Kosky’s new production, Mérope (Oedipe) at Opéra National de Paris, and the leading role of Charlotte Andergast in the world premiere of Sebastian Fagerlund’s Höstsonaten for Finnish National Opera.

The 2022/2023 season sees von Otter further expand her repertoire with productions of Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame (Countess) at La Monnaie under Nathalie Stutzmann and Strauss’ Arabella (Adelaide) at Teatro Real Madrid under David Afkham, in addition to a reprise of Countess Geschwitz in Theater an der Wien’s new production of Berg’s Lulu, conducted by Maxime Pascal. After their acclaimed collaboration last season at Theater Basel in ‘Eine Winterreise,’ an intimate evening of music theatre conceived by Christoph Loy and inspired by the songs of Franz Schubert, von Otter and Kristian Bezuidenhout reunite for recitals in New York, Boston, Minnesota, Rochester, Santa