Friday, August 22 – 19.30
Sola Ruinkyrkje
Anna-Liisa Eller (kannel), André Lislevand (viola da gamba)
duration: 1 hour
This concert, set in the intimate atmosphere of Sola ruinkyrkje, offers a rare opportunity to discover a remarkable instrument: the Estonian kannel. Often described by listeners as producing sounds from heaven, the kannel remains a hidden treasure to many. You may also discover — or rediscover — another extraordinary instrument: the viola da gamba, praised for its deep, soulful tone, said to be the closest to the human voice.
This exceptional concert in Norway is a carte blanche given by two outstanding musicians, both celebrated masters of their art. Bound by deep musical complicity and breathtaking virtuosity, Anna-Liisa Eller and André Lislevand will lead us on a journey through the traditional folk roots of the Baltic and Northern-Europe regions, guiding us with music towards beauty and universality.
Anna-Liisa Eller started her Estonian chromatic kannel studies at the Tallinn Music School with teacher Malle Vihul. She continued her studies under the supervision of Kristi Mühling, first at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School, which she graduated from in 2008, and then at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in 2011 and a master’s degree cum laude in 2014. In 2013, Anna-Liisa Eller studied at the Lyon National Conservatory of Music and Dance under Professor Yves Rechsteiner and Professor Rolf Lislevand, and in 2013–2014 at the Trossingen University of Music in Germany under Professor Rolf Lislevand. From the autumn of 2016, she continues at the doctoral program of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, supervised by Professor Toomas Siitan and Professor Imbi Tarum.
Anna-Liisa Eller has won prizes at several competitions both in Estonia and abroad, including the 1st prize in Vilnius (2008) and the 1st prize and Koistinen kantele special prize at the 1st International Kantele Competition in Helsinki, Finland (2011). Anna-Liisa Eller mainly focuses on early and contemporary music. She likes to experiment and broaden the possibilities of Estonian chromatic kannel. She has performed at numerous music festivals across Europe and has participated in the work of several Estonian and international ensembles, both as a soloist and as an ensemble member. She collaborates closely with ensembles Supersonus, The Bright Future Ensemble, Vox Clamantis, Floridante, Rondellus, and others. Anna-Liisa Eller has been teaching kannel at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College since 2010 and at the Tallinn Music School since 2016. In 2021, she released her acclaimed solo album Strings Attached: The Voice of Kannel (Harmonia Mundi), which received widespread praise from the international music press. The album earned her the Annual Prize of the Endowment for Music of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2021) and the Estonian Music Award 2022 in the category of Classical Album of the Year.
André Lislevand was born in Verona in 1993. A son of lutenist parents, music played an important part in his life from very early on. Since the age of 16, he has been collaborating with various ensembles and orchestras including Ensemble Kapsberger, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Münchner Phillharmoniker, directed by and playing with artists such as Sigiswald Kuijken, Andrea Marcon, and Paul McCreesh. As a youngster he had the chance to study privately with Jordi Savall. He began his studies under Paolo Pandolfo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in 2013, continuing with Vittorio Ghielmi at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 2017. Paolo Pandolfo described André as “a young maestro of the viola da gamba, whose musical sensitivity is rich with ideas of great artistic quality.”
André is currently a professor of viola da gamba at the “Pierre Cochereau” Conservatory in Nice and the “L. Marenzio” Conservatory in Brescia (Italy).
André Lislevand is the guest of prestigious festivals such as, Utrecht Oude Muziek Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad,Salzburg Festspiele, Tonhalle Zurich, Göttingen Händel-Festspiele, Festival Ambronay, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Trondheim Barokkfest, Automne Musical de Spa, Festival Printemps des Arts di Montecarlo, to name a few. Since 2013 he has been a regular guest of Oslo Chamber Music Festival, invited by Arve Tellefsen. He plays regularly with the Norwegian luthist Jadran Duncumb and the clavecinist Paolo Erdas. His debut album Forqueray Unchained (2021) was awarded a Diapason Découverte. His second album Galanterie, the autumn of the viola da gamba (2023) was praised by critics.