Borealis 2011

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Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester

The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra -commonly known as Harmonien- dates back to 1765 and is thus one of the world’s oldest orchestras. Edvard Grieg had a close relationship with the orchestra and was its artistic director during the years 1880-82. The modern orchestra owes much to Harald Heide, who was artistic director from 1908 until 1948, and to Karsten Andersen who held the post from 1964 until 1985. Principal conductors since then have been Aldo Ceccato, Dmitri Kitayenko, Simone Young and, with effect from 2003, the American conductor Andrew Litton, who is now the orchestra’s Music Director. The Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena is engaged as Principal Guest Conductor.