Award-winning Norwegian pianist Aksel Kolstad, who has been performing in King’s Music and Drill Platoon, is devoted to promoting classical music to wider audiences. While music remains original, everything else appears in an unaccustomed way.|
Have you had any criticism from down-grading the solemn concept of classical music? On the contrary. People are grateful to us that we are bringing classical music back on track. And also invite a new audience back to the traditional concert halls. What sets your venue (Café de Concert) apart from other music-thematic venues like jazz/rock cafés? It’s young. Innovative. Presenting paintings, literature, dance and theatre along with classical concerts – in cafés. We only perform in casual clothing or in Norwegian-inspired outfits. And the level of the performers is top notch. And most important of all – we create a market for classical music. Does the reception of your performances vary across nations? Nope. It is always a success. Your story is tagged to the creative industries concept. Have you got something valuable out from the creative industries paradigm in terms of setting up and developing your own business? I didn’t have a clue what it was. However, now when I have become familiar with the concept and with case studies, I could easily foresee the ways of benefitting from it in terms of developing my business. Young contemporary entrepreneurs will surely take advantage of the creative industries philosophy. Aksel Kolstad contributed with a presentation to the opening of Tallinn’s Creative Incubator on 22 September 2009. On the same evening Kolstad gave a concert in Von Krahl. |
Contemporary and open-minded concerts bring wider audiences to classical music
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Aksel Kolstad was interviewed by Madis Tilga, information adviser with the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia. You recently opened your first classical music café – Café de Concert – in Oslo and you are promoting classical music to wider audiences. What do you think the main attractor behind it is – the music itself or the show? Café de Concert goes back to the very roots of classical music. Bach actually performed his contemporary music in cafés. Classical music used to be popular music and it’s about time it is becoming that again. We change the settings of traditional classical concerts, but don’t do anything with the music, we just play it as it is – but in casual clothing and we tell the untold and uncensored stories from the good old wild days of the classical composers. The audience can relax more and is more open for the standard repertoire in a more laid back setting than in a concert house where you almost cannot sneeze. But it is important to announce that it is dead silent when we play, but the communication is so direct and open to the audience in Café de Concert so there is a lot of laughter and people applauding all the time. We aim for the younger generation to come to our concerts. We would never change the music to any other genre than classical music. |